


Partners

by Miasen



Series: Partners [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anal Sex, Angst, Blood, Clubbing, Dirty Dancing, Explicit Sexual Content, Fights, Hand Jobs, M/M, Masturbation, Minor Character Death, Oral Sex, Rimming, Romance, Smut, Supernatural Elements, Vampires, Violence, Were-Creatures, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-31
Updated: 2015-08-19
Packaged: 2018-02-15 18:19:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 35
Words: 165,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2238771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miasen/pseuds/Miasen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Agent of the Department of Paranormal Affairs Sasuke Uchiha is going through partners like other people goes through socks. No one can stand being around the moody bastard for long, and that's just how Sasuke likes it. He has a goal in mind, and he does not need anyone getting in the way of that, least of all his newest partner: rookie agent Naruto Uzumaki.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Sasuke Uchiha pulled up his usual glare as the elevator dinged to announce his arrival on the fifteenth floor. Stepping out he looked over the open office area before him, daring anyone to approach him as he stalked towards his desk. He would have much rather preferred an office with an actual door he could close and lock and deadbolt shut, but he would have to make at least unit leader before he got that privilege. He gave himself a maximum of two years before the position was his. He just needed the current leader of their unit to get a promotion and then he was going to get that office.

His cockiness didn’t come from some misguided idea that he was better than his co-workers; it came with the _knowledge_ that he was better. He was a fucking Uchiha after all.

Sliding gracefully down onto his office chair he swivelled it towards his computer, turning it on and lacing his hands underneath his chin as he waited for the machine to boot up. He had work to do, and unlike most of his co-workers he did not need to spend the first half hour of work hanging around the water cooler to do so.

His fingers flew across the keyboard as he tapped the password to log on to the secure server, bringing up the files he had been working on the previous day. In lieu of any new assignments he went back to the one he always worked on when he had time. The reason he had joined the department in the first place. Not for some silly dream that he could make the world a better place, but as a way to get to the one target he wanted to take down, the target that had set him on this career path in the first place.

A small ding announced an incoming message from someone on the internal messaging system. Seeing how there was only one person with the guts to message Sasuke he knew ignoring the message was not an option. With a sigh he moved the cursor towards the window and maximized it.

Just as he expected the message was from Kakashi Hatake, current leader of Unit Seven, the unit Sasuke was a part of, and the one sentence did not bode well for Sasuke. 'See me in my office' usually meant one of two things. Either he was getting a scolding for chasing off his last partner, or he was getting a scolding for being a bastard to his co-workers. Not that it mattered much; Sasuke was going to ignore the grey-haired man either way. Sasuke was too good in his job to be fired, so people would just have to deal with the fact that he was an asshole. He didn’t need to be sociable to be good at his job; all he needed was weapons and information on where to find someone to use said weapons on.

Not bothering to knock on the door he just walked inside, hardly surprised when he found his superior with his legs on the table, erotic novel in hand. Crossing his arms Sasuke waited just inside the room. He knew there was no point in getting Kakashi's attention before he had finished the page. The man was addicted to his dirty novels. How the lazy pervert ever got anything done was anyone's guess, but he was surprisingly capable at his job. Not that Sasuke would ever admit that to the man.

Finally the book vanished into a desktop drawer, and Kakashi swung his legs down on the floor, the one eye not hidden behind an eye patch moving to Sasuke's dark ones. The corner of Kakashi's eye crooked in a smile. His lower face was always covered in a black mask, so it was a good thing his eyes were this expressive or he'd be impossible to read.

"Sasuke. Imagine my surprise when yet another person asked for a new partner, citing their reasons to be that Sasuke Uchiha is intolerable to work with."

Sasuke barely dignified it with an _hn_. It wasn’t his problem his partners were so damned easy to scare off.

"This was the fourth one this year, and we are only five months into it already."

Sasuke shrugged. It wasn’t like he was keeping a tally.

"I know you don’t like being around other people, but this isn’t a one man job. No one is to go out in the field without backup, and you well know why."

Sasuke did know why they always paired up the agents, he just didn’t think the reasoning applied to himself. Sure, so they were going up against beings with superhuman powers that wanted nothing more than to kill you, but Sasuke still much preferred to do it alone. The way he saw it having another person around was only a liability. Instead of hunting for the blood drinkers he was supposed to take out he would have to take them out while at the same time trying to keep whatever loser they stuck him with alive.

"Lucky for you we have a new guy joining us today, and seeing how you are the only one without a partner…"

Sasuke couldn’t keep his mouth shut another moment. He leaned down on the desk in front of him, boring his eyes into Kakashi's. His fingers curled around the edge of the heavy wood, skin whitening with the strain as he tried to contain the anger that flared in him, taking his frustrations out on the desk. Had it been any flimsier he was sure a piece would have cracked off by now.

"I cannot deal with another partner Kakashi. I can't kill vampires while babysitting. Just let me go out alone, you know I'm good enough."

Kakashi was far from intimidated, he just leaned back in his chair, popped his long legs back up on his desk and dug out his dirty novel again. "He's coming over in about an hour. I would appreciate it if you at least try being civil. If this one doesn't work out I might be forced to put you on desk duty."

Sasuke would have sputtered or screamed out his frustration over the horrible injustice, but he knew Kakashi would just ignore him in favour of his book.

Fuming Sasuke stalked back to his desk. He didn't know if Kakashi took special pleasure in torturing him, but it certainly seemed like it. Another fucking partner… It had only taken him two weeks to get rid of the last one. The pink-haired girl, Sakura something, had started off their partnership fawning over him, and less than two weeks later she hated his guts. Sasuke had a special talent for getting people to hate him. Maybe it was the way he refused to acknowledge them when they said something, or the way he glared at them until they just left, but the result was always the same: everyone found themselves in Kakashi's office, requesting a transfer or a new partner.

Kakashi's threats to stick him on desk duty had him worried though. Sasuke was not about to let that happen. He needed to be out there, to hunt. He'd go mad behind a desk. So somehow he needed to dump his partner without Kakashi getting annoyed with him.

It wasn’t going to be easy, but Sasuke was not one to step down from a challenge.

***

 

Naruto Uzumaki hitched his shoulder bag higher on his shoulder and tilted his head back, taking in all of the magnificent steel and glass building that would be his home away from home now. He had transferred from the police force after a couple of years as an officer. He had wanted to work in the Department of Paranormal Affairs for as long as he could remember, and finally he had gotten an opportunity, eagerly giving up every part of his old life to move to a new state to start a brand new life as an agent.

Heading towards the entrance he had to consciously make an effort not to skip along. He was extremely excited, and wanted to just run inside, but knew that was probably not going to make a great first impression.

After signing in in the lobby he headed over to the elevators, jumping from foot to foot as he waited for it to arrive at his floor. 15th floor, home of Unit Seven.

Finally the elevator arrived at its destination and the doors slid open. Naruto stepped out, brushing down his shirt as he walked. It was wrinkled and probably should have been ironed, but Naruto didn’t exactly own an iron, so it would just have to do. At least his dark trousers were clean, and he'd even remembered to put on a tie.

Naruto looked around the room he had just entered. He had stepped into a small entrance area, a small space that overlooked the rest of the office. There was a kitchen nook to the left, bathrooms to the right, and down a short stair was the bullpen. About ten desks filled the space, most of them had people settled behind computers. His eyes darted across them, knowing that these would be his co-workers

One the other side of the work area Naruto could see the office of the Unit leader. He knew he had to go over there to announce his arrival, but kind of dreaded having to walk right across the work area to do it. He just knew people were going to stare at him. People always did.

Steeling himself he locked his gaze on the doors that marked his target and headed down the three steps. He was going to be working closely with these people, so he could only hope he would be accepted, but experience ensured that he didn’t hold his breath.

No one stopped him, or called out after him, but he could feel eyes on him. Sure, that might be normal, to glance up when someone unknown passed your desk, but usually when people looked at him it didn’t take them long to decide they should hate him.

Taking a deep breath he lifted his hand and knocked on the door marked with Kakashi Hatake-Unit Leader. He knew Mr. Hatake was informed of his… situation, but that didn’t mean the other man was going to approve of it.

Naruto badly wanted to just run out of there. He was suddenly not sure if he had made the right choice by coming here. Sure, it was what he had always wanted, and it wasn’t like he had any friends back in the force, but at least there he knew what he was doing.

The door swung open, and Naruto looked up at who he could only presume was Kakashi Hatake. His hair was grey, but his face suggested that he was younger than the colour would indicate, he couldn’t be more than thirty-something. His hair, however wild and messy it was, wasn’t what really made Naruto stare though. Most of the man's face was hidden from view, an eye patch covering his left eye, and a black fabric mask covering the lower half of his face, hiding everything from his nose to his neck as it disappeared beneath his shirt collar. Naruto's eyes were wide as he stared up at the man, focusing on the one eye not hidden. It was a steely blue-grey colour, and wrinkled up in what Naruto assumed was a smile. He certainly hoped so.

"Naruto Uzumaki, reporting for duty!" Naruto exclaimed when he finally realised what a buffoon he must look like, staring up at his boss. He knew well how it felt to be stared at, and he was not going to be just as bad as everyone else.

"Welcome to Unit Seven," the man said, not an ounce of venom or hatred in his voice. This was a wonderful change from how he was usually greeted, and Naruto was already feeling better. A wide grin spread on his face.

***

 

Sasuke walked out of the bathroom, heading back to his desk. Now, some might try and claim that Sasuke wasn’t actually human but a robot, but matter of the fact was that he was a human and thusly had certain needs just as much as the other person. Like going to the toilet. Or eating. However much he disliked the latter. Food was so overrated.

Sitting back at his desk he noticed his co-workers whispering around him. Normally he wouldn’t care, but seeing how they kept looking up at Kakashi's door Sasuke thought he might have missed something.

Leaning over towards Neji, about the only guy he could deal with amongst his co-workers he asked what was up with everyone.

"New guy arrived." Neji turned back towards his computer. Now, the way the Hyuuga wasn’t very talkative was usually why Sasuke didn’t hate him, but right now he could have used with just a little more information. He already knew that a new guy was expected today, but he couldn't see what all the fuss was about.

Shrugging he went back to his computer, opening a file and reading through it. He would see the new guy when Kakashi introduced him later on anyways, after all, he was supposed to be Sasuke's new partner. Until Sasuke got rid of him that was.

Ten more minutes passed, Sasuke ignoring the rest of the room in favour of reading through the files that had been sent over from one of the other Units, piecing together old information with new, when someone cleared their throat right behind him.

His hand moved automatically to minimize the files as he turned around, infamous glare already in place.

Kakashi just shook his head, and motioned for someone to come closer. Sasuke looked at the new person walking towards him. The first thing he saw was vibrantly blond hair, and a huge grin. Sasuke instantly knew he was going to hate this person.

The next thing he saw made everyone's reaction suddenly clear. On each of the other man's cheeks there were three distinct scar-like markings, looking very much like whiskers. Unless the man was a fucking idiot and had carved them into his own cheeks those scars meant one thing: His new partner was a shifter.

"Fuck you, Kakashi. You do not intend to place me with a fucking _cat_?"

Alongside vampires, shifters were one of the biggest groups of preternatural beings out there. Where vampires all were evil demon spawn, shifters were a much more diverse group of beings. Some were completely harmless, some were vicious beasts. Much like your regular human beings, apart from the fact that they could change their bodies to turn into various animals, depending on which species of shifter they were. The most well-known being werewolves of course, but in reality there were about as many types of shifters as there were mammals. They all carried marks that identified them as shifters though, werewolves had sharp fangs even in human form, and whiskers usually meant some kind of cat shifter. Tigers or bobcats or something of the sorts. Annoying buggers almost all of them, moody bastards that slept a lot.

The blond man's jaw fell, his eyes widening in anger as he sputtered. "I'm not a fucking cat!" he yelled, fists gesticulating wildly, showing the volatile nature often associated with shifters. How predictable.

Sasuke didn’t dignify him with anything but a wrinkle of his perfectly straight nose.

Truth was that shifters were notoriously bad to work with. Anger them and they started shifting, growing completely out of control. There was a reason there was entire units set aside to control the shifter population. And now Kakashi wanted him to work with one? If he thought working with regular people were babysitting this was about ten times worse.

Kakashi interrupted whatever tirade the blond was about to go off on.

"Sasuke, meet Naruto. He's your new partner. Remember what I told you earlier today." With a very pointed look at Sasuke the man turned and headed back to his office, probably already missing his books. Sasuke only stared at his retreating back, and had the feeling that if he could have seen Kakashi's face right now it would have been set in an evil grin. He seemed to take some kind of perverted pleasure in torturing Sasuke. Not only by giving him a new partner right away, but by giving him like the worst type of partner conceivable.

Turning back to his new partner he crossed his arms, glaring. The blond just glared back, and the sheer nerve of that action made Sasuke even angrier. Who was this guy? Everyone apart from Kakashi shied away from the infamous Uchiha glare.

Blue eyes sparked with annoyance as the blond—Naruto, was that what Kakashi had called him?— likewise folded his arms. Sasuke took the time to take in the appearance of him. His shirt was wrinkled, and one shirt tail wasn’t even tucked into his pants. His tie was crooked, and hung loose around his neck, topmost shirt buttons unbuttoned, showing off tan skin. His blond hair was an absolute mess, sticking out in all kinds of directions hair wasn’t meant to stick out. Sure, Sasuke's hair wasn’t combed back neatly either, bangs hanging loose and back of hair spiked up, but at least he put time into making it a very deliberate hair do! The blond looked mostly like he had just rolled out of bed and gone to work.

It was no secret that Sasuke Uchiha took great pride in his appearance. Expensive leather shoes always polished to a shine. Pants flawless, shirt always pressed, tie firmly knotted around his neck, every single hair perfectly groomed into place. It was hard work being an Uchiha, especially now that he was the last one and needed to show the name the proper respect.

"I'm not a fucking cat you know," the blond said after a few minutes had passed with the two of them staring at one another.

Sasuke shrugged, hardly caring about the species. It wasn’t like the blond would be staying for long. He couldn’t help but to provoke him though. "So, a mouse then?"

Naruto sputtered, anger flaring in his blue eyes. "I'm a fox dammit!"

Sasuke lifted one dark eyebrow, hardly impressed by the distinction.

Swivelling back to the computer he figured he should just get rid of his new partner as soon possible. Kakashi's threats were more than likely empty, he would not be placed on desk duty, and to be honest he was willing to take the risk if it meant that the grey-haired man was going to stop giving him all these shitty partners.

"Just don't start digging through my garbage, _fox_." When he heard the tell-tale sounds of Naruto sputtering in anger he allowed one corner of his mouth to tilt up in the hint of a smile. He was going to have fun getting rid of this one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My first multi-chaptered Naruto fic. The first draft is already written, so I'll post chapters as soon as I get around to editing them. The first draft currently stands at 105 000 words, so it's going to be a longer fic. Will add more tags as they are needed, but wanted you all to know right off the bat that there will be gay sex in this, in case you don't like it. 
> 
> Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy.


	2. Chapter 2

 

Naruto threw his door shut behind him, the bang making the picture hanging on the wall next to the door fall down, glass shattering against the floor. Naruto could not care less. He was angry. He was pissed off. He was fucking furious! Finally he had gotten his break, and they had stuck him with the biggest fucking bastard on the entire planet! Fuck, he would have preferred the usual awkward way people acted around him, keeping their distance out of fear he was about to shift and kill them any moment.

No such luck with the The Bastard though, nope! Firstly the guy had insinuated he was a cat, and then he teased him for being a fox, and then he fucking spent the next hours ignoring Naruto completely. Naruto had tried talking to him, he had tried poking him, he had fucking tried shoving him, but The Bastard ignored him completely, like he was just some annoying fly buzzing around his head. It infuriated Naruto to high heavens.

Dropping his shoulder bag onto the floor he stalked over towards his kitchen. There was only one thing in the whole world that would help his mood right now. Delicious ramen, food of the gods. He whipped up a large bowl and took it into the living room with him, dumping down in front of the TV, happily slurping up the noodles. He could eat the stuff every day, for every meal, much to his dad's chagrin. Too bad daddy dearest was nowhere around to scold him for the choice of dinner.

His dad was possibly the only thing Naruto would miss having moved. Iruka Umino had taken him in as a kid, and was the only person that had ever cared about Naruto, not giving a damned if he was a shifter. Growing up not only a shifter, but an orphan, bouncing from foster home to foster home had been awful, and when Iruka had taken him in and shown him how having a family was like he had probably saved Naruto. Naruto wasn’t sure if he would have pulled through all the hatred directed at him without Iruka there to stroke his hair when he cried himself to sleep, or to patch up his wounds when someone had used him as a punching bag. He'd have to call Iruka soon, the man was probably anxious to know how Naruto was doing. Oh, Naruto couldn’t wait to tell him all about The Bastard!

With thoughts of his dad, and ramen slowly filling his stomach he finally calmed down enough to do some actual pondering rather than just cussing out his partner.

He had been so stoked to get this opportunity, and his only fear had been that the people couldn’t deal with what he was. Apart from Sasuke being a complete dick, things weren’t so bad though. One of his other co-workers had taken mercy on him and rescued him from the futile attempts at coaxing some kind of response out of the raven. Kiba Inuzuka turned out to be a pretty decent guy, showing Naruto around, and introducing him to the other members of their unit. Being only eleven people they were going to have to work closely together, so Naruto was happy to see that most of them weren't complete assholes, and none of them had commented on him being a shifter at all.

Kiba had to leave for patrol pretty soon though, as well as the other guys, leaving only Sasuke and he in the office. Naruto wouldn’t be sent into the field for a couple of days, he needed to be filled in on their cases beforehand, and Sasuke wasn’t allowed either until Naruto came with him. Sasuke had complained loudly about the fact to Kakashi, but their unit leader had shut him down by explaining that if he stopped scaring away his partners he wouldn’t have to stay inside. The raven had merely grumbled and gone back to his computer, showing his displeasure by ignoring Naruto for the rest of the night, tapping away on his keyboard, scowl marring his brow.

Knowing that Sasuke seemingly had the tendency to scare away his partners just made Naruto determined that he was not going to become one of them. He was not easily scared. Fuck, he'd grown up being ostracised after all, he'd long since developed thick shields. He had great motivation for joining the DPA, and no stuck up bastard was going to ruin this for him. Sasuke might not like him, and Naruto sure as hell didn’t like the pale bastard, but that didn’t mean he was going anywhere anytime soon. No, he was just going to have to find some way to ignore his lousy partner and excel at what he did. He had lots of experience ignoring shitheads before, so it shouldn't be much of a problem.

He had been dealt a bad card in life, but he was not going to let that stop him, he was going to be the best damned agent DPA had ever seen, and he wouldn’t let being a shifter stop him. It had never been his choice to be like this, so people would just have to deal.

A wide grin spread on Naruto's face as he leaned back on the couch, visions of rising in the ranks until he was the head of the entire Department of Paranormal Affairs.

***

Sasuke stepped into the shower, lathering up his hair, fingers digging into his scalp to alleviate the budding headache he could feel coming on. He'd spent the entire night at work doing his best to ignore the blond menace of a partner. He had no need to know anything about him, or talk to him, or even see him. All he needed of him was to get ready for the field ASAP so Sasuke would be able to go back out and do what he did best: kill.

Out of all the paranormal beings roaming the world the vampires were the worst scourge. Where shifters or fey could create trouble, and leprechauns loved nothing more than create mischief, vampires were plain evil.

A couple of decades ago, before the paranormal beings made themselves known to the world people had this stupid notions that vampires were these sexy beings, tortured souls just looking for that one person who could love them. Truth was that vampires were demons.

Sasuke sneered as water cascaded over him, washing away the shampoo as he moved to wash his body, fingers tracing across soft skin marred by a few scars he had accumulated through the years of fighting the monsters. Oh, how people's views had changed when the vampires were unmasked.

Turning into a vampire was nasty business, nothing romantic about it. You'd be drained completely, vampire blood introduced into your body. The vampire blood acted as a conductor, opening a portal from hell, allowing a single demon entrance into the now dead body. That demon now controlled that body completely, having full access to the person's memories. Vampires thusly had no problem acting exactly like the person had in life, making it hard to identify them. Until they ate you that was. Needing blood to be able to stay in the body, and having no conscience made it easy for them to kill without remorse, leaving a trail of dead bodies behind them to rot in the sunlight.

There was only one thing to do about vampires, kill them, and kill them fast. Demons were vulnerable when they took a physical body; stakes, decapitations, fire or sunlight all surefire ways to kill them for good, but seeing how hell was, well, _hell_ , they took chance willingly. Besides, most of them were arrogant, not believing that measly humans would really be a threat against almighty demons. Sasuke kept showing them just how wrong they were in that assumption.

Vampires were the reason the rest of the paranormal population stepped out of the closet to begin with. The vampire population had suddenly surged in numbers, growing completely out of control, and there were no hiding anymore. They needed help from the humans to control them, before the beasts took over the world completely.

The Department of Paranormal Affairs, most commonly referred to as DPA, came about quickly when the government realised the threat they were up against, similar departments popping up all over the globe. Training law enforcers they soon managed to take some control over the situation. Vampires were still very much roaming the world, but the numbers were controllable now. For every new one popping out an agent would take one out. They hoped to be able to kill them all at one point, no vampires meant no more ways to create portals to the human realm, but so far it was proving a hard task. New vampires weren’t much of a threat, not strong enough to stay alive when the DPA agents hunted their ass. The old vampires though, those who had roamed the world long before the humans knew about them, the ones who were smart and hid their trail of bodies, those were the real problem. Cunning, hard to kill and paranoid they would secretly create just enough new vampires to keep their population alive while staying in hiding, ensuring no agents knew they existed.

Sasuke had grown up in this world, vampires being something they were taught how to protect themselves from at an early age. Sure, most of those lessons were pretty much variants _of stay inside after dark_ , but still. He hadn’t thought he would be very much affected by the supernatural, the vampires were few enough in number so most people just went through life, never meeting a single one. That had all changed when Sasuke was still a kid though, and soon the paranormal was very much a part of his life, eventually leading him to his current occupation as an agent of DPA.

Not in the mood to go down the path of his childhood trauma Sasuke conditioned his hair and rinsed off before leaving the shower. Dwelling on the past did him no good, so he'd just store those thoughts back in the dredges of his mind and do his best to ignore them, like he always did.

Dressed in a dark-blue pyjama pants Sasuke walked out of the bathroom, heading into his living room and the desk placed in the corner. He booted up his laptop and sat down in front of his. Work might be over for the day, but he had a personal mission on the side. Besides, it wasn’t like he had anything to do with his spare time after all, he had no use for stuff like hobbies or watching TV or having a social life.

Clicking open his email he scanned through it, hoping to have heard back from one of his contacts. No such luck. He had exactly three new mails. One from Kakashi telling him to stop being a prick and just deal with his new partner. One from his phone company with the monthly bill, and the last one spam. As if Sasuke needed some pill to enlarge his dick. It was more than large enough thank you very much. With a scowl he deleted the latter and the first, taking a certain glee in the fact that he was pissing off Kakashi. At some point the unit leader should take the hint that Sasuke did better on his own and stop pairing him up with all these morons. _A fucking shifter…_

He was about to close the computer when a sudden thought hit him, and soon he had opened Firefox (the irony was not lost on him), and typed in "Naruto Uzumaki" in the search bar.

The first hit was to his Facebook, and of course the dumbass kept everything open to everyone. Didn’t he have the sense to keep it private? Oh well, it made his task easier. He was sure to find some kind of dirt he could use to get rid of the blond, whether it be embarrassing photos, or something else entirely. Sasuke was not above playing dirty.

Apparently Naruto had joined the police force four years previously. It was usually how most of their agents came into the job. Police academy, a stint on the force, followed by twelve months training to become an agent. He was 26, which made him one year younger than Sasuke, and had an unhealthy fascination with ramen, of all things. His banner photo was pretty much an homage to the food.

Sasuke clicked on Naruto's profile photo, enlarging it. It was just a headshot, the blond grinning madly at the camera, showing off his perfectly straight teeth.

Moving through the rest of the blond's pictures Sasuke was surprised to see that almost all of them were of Naruto alone. No party photos, no photos of him hanging out with friends or anything like that. The only other person to appear in the photos was a brown-haired man with a scar across his face. The picture descriptions named him as Naruto's dad, but they looked nothing alike, and the man still looked to be in his thirties, hardly old enough to be the father of a twenty-six year old.

Frowning he clicked back to Naruto's profile, clicking on the Friends tab. Naruto had exactly 317 friends, but when Sasuke kept on going down the profile it looked like none of them interacted with the blond at all. No comments on his wall, no tagged photos. And the few updates Naruto had made had no comments whatsoever, and only a like or two.

It didn’t look like any of his 317 friends actually were his friends at all. Was the blond really that unlikeable? Sure, Sasuke hadn’t exactly fawned over the man, but then again, Sasuke hated everyone, so that was to be expected. If Sasuke had a Facebook profile it would be about as deserted as the middle of Sahara.

Scrolling back up the page Sasuke found himself staring at the other man's picture. The goofy grin was so unlike any expression Sasuke had ever made. The raven didn’t actually think his lips could stretch that way. The blond hair was pretty much the opposite of his own black locks as well. Blue eyes versus dark brown. Tan skin versus pale. The only way they could look more different was if Naruto had been a woman.

Shutting the window Sasuke turned off his computer. He really didn’t care if Naruto had loads of friends or not, he sure as hell had no intention of becoming one. No, his plan was what it always was, be himself and soon enough all his partners gave up. He didn’t need incriminating photos to do that. Naruto would be gone soon enough, some way or another.


	3. Chapter 3

 

Naruto practically skipped out of Kakashi's office. In his hand was a shiny badge that showed the whole world that Naruto Uzumaki was now officially an agent of DPA. It was five days since he first had walked into the building, and after spending that time reading up on cases and preparing Kakashi had deemed him ready to hit the field and given him the badge and a gun.

He had undergone training already, so it had all been a formality to make sure he knew how his unit worked, but Naruto had still had this fear that somehow something would happen and Kakashi would throw him out before he had even gotten started.

Clipping the badge to his belt Naruto grinned over at Kiba, sitting a couple of desks away. Inuzuka gave him two thumbs up. They'd only known each other for a few days, but Naruto really liked the man. To be honest, he liked everyone in the office, apart from his partner.

Naruto was used to being treated like shit due to his shifter status. Most shifters lived secluded from the human population, but since Naruto hadn’t grown up in a pack or a family of shifters, but with his human foster father, he had stuck out like a sore thumb. Everyone knew what the marks on his face meant, and it had singled him out as the one to fear. Naruto had never done anything to hurt anyone, but parents still told their kids to stay away from the Uzumaki kid.

All Naruto had ever wanted was to be like everyone else, but that hadn’t seemed to be in the future for him, so he had decided that if people didn’t want to like him he was just going to have to do something to _make_ them like him. Becoming an agent had sort of felt natural to him. Taking down the bad guys to prove that he was worthy should hopefully show that Naruto Uzumaki was worth something. He had every intention of once becoming the leader of the entire department, but for now he would settle with being an agent and get to do something good with his life.

So the fact that not only did the rest of his unit accept him, even if they all knew what he was, they treated him like nicely, talking to him instead of punching him. It had been a very welcome surprise. He'd been prepared for the opposite, seeing how these guys all worked with taking down the evil supernatural beings, but turned out they knew enough about them to also realise not all of them were evil.

He was further reassured when Kiba had told him that Sasuke hated everyone, so him being a shifter was definitely not the reason the bastard was being a bastard. He was just born with a stick up his ass. No one knew much about the guy even though they'd worked with him for a couple of years already. He didn’t talk to anyone apart from Neji and Kakashi, and even then it was mostly with single words. He never joined the others when they went out for beers after work, and he never ever smiled. Bastard through and through and of course Naruto would be the one stuck with him. He would have much preferred being partnered with Kiba, but he was already partnered with Kankuro, so that was a no go.

Over the last days Naruto had tried to talk to Sasuke again. They were going to go into the field together, so communicating would have to happen at some point, but the raven kept ignoring him. Naruto figured he would just have to make the best of it, maybe if he proved to his partner that he could hold his own Sasuke would defrost a little around the edges.

Naruto knew he was more than capable. He was excellent with a gun, he was great with a blade, and he was strong. Being a shifter contributed a bit to that, but mostly his strength came from hours working out. Kickboxing, weights and running mostly. Seeing how he never really had many friends it was easy spending time in the gym.

He had been top of his class at his agent training as well, so he knew he was good. Now he just needed to prove himself in the field.

"Come."

Naruto's head snapped around, locating the origin of the voice. Sasuke was standing directly behind him, and Naruto was a bit unnerved. How had he not heard the other sneak up on him, was the guy a fucking ninja or something?

"Come where?"

Sasuke answered by a roll of his eyes as he tossed a manila folder at Naruto. Naruto fumbled to catch it. Opening it he saw a picture of a beautiful young woman with long blond hair. She looked pretty, with her pink dress and soft smile. Naruto had no idea why he was looking at her picture, until he noticed the words stamped on the bottom of the page.

_Confirmed turn._

Shit, it looked like he had his first assignment already. He wasn’t sure how he felt about his first mission being a girl. He knew they were all demons and all, but killing a girl? He'd kind of envisioned going after some dirty, evil looking guy, not a pretty girl. Stupid of him really, demons couldn’t care less about the gender of their host body.

He peered up from his folder, and found that Sasuke was gone. Looking around the room Naruto could see dark hair vanishing into the elevator, the door closing already. The guy was leaving without him! Rushing to grab his weapons Naruto tucked the folder under his arm as he ran towards the stairs, hoping to reach the basement and the car before Sasuke left him behind.

XXX

Sasuke was disappointed to see Naruto running towards him when he opened the car and slid into the driver's seat. He had hoped the blond wouldn’t have caught up to him. Then he would have been able to go out there, and complain to Kakashi that it hardly was his fault when Naruto hadn’t been paying attention.

The passenger door opened, and Naruto jumped inside, slamming the door shut behind him. Sasuke winced at the unnecessary force, and hoped Naruto wasn’t about to ruin his car. He liked this car a lot.

Starting the Lexus he drove out of the garage. For once Naruto was silent, busy reading through the file. It was a nice change from the last days, when Naruto seemed to bug him whenever he could. Sasuke didn’t know what the other's strategy, he kept trying to talk to Sasuke no matter how much Sasuke ignored him. It was a nice change from his last partner who had spent the first days fawning all over him, but he would have preferred that Naruto took the hint and just left already. Apparently just ignoring him wasn’t about to help, he needed a new tactic.

"Where are we going?" Naruto asked when he finally looked up from his papers.

"Her home." The dossier he had gotten from one of the intelligence departments had said that the girl had been found dead in her apartment this morning by her boyfriend who upon noticing the fang marks on her neck had known enough about vampires to check her eyes. When he found them to be blood red he had called the police, who in turn notified DPA. It made their work a lot easier when people found them before the vampires even rose. It took a demon a while to get settled in a new body, and they never rose until at least twenty-four hours passed. Most vampires was smart enough to hide the new turns so they'd be able to rise in safety, but apparently her murderer hadn’t been that smart.

Soon enough they stopped outside a small apartment complex. There were no parking spots available, so Sasuke just drove his car up onto the sidewalk. The perks of his job, no one would give him tickets, not when lives were at stake.

Both men stepped out of the car, Sasuke popping open the trunk to pull out his favoured weapon. He had his gun tucked in its holster on his side, but he much preferred his katana, and always kept it in the trunk. The guns were specially made for taking down vampires, bullets filled with enough silver nitrate to stop most bloodsuckers easily, but the katana felt more comfortable in his hand. Besides, cut a vampires head off and you were absolutely sure they were dead, shoot them with a bullet and they might live long enough to bite you. Not to forgot how much more satisfying it was to get up close and personal, feel the resistance as his blade carved through skin and flesh and bone as he ended their miserable existence.

He noticed Naruto's eyes widen slightly as he saw the weapon, but the blond didn’t say anything, just nodded at Sasuke and walked towards the door. Sasuke took a second to look down at the weapon in his hand, sliding it out of the sheath to inspect the metal, making sure it was clean and sharp and ready. The katana was old, but Sasuke had modified it, coating the steel with silver, making it a very lethal tool. The sheath was black, decorated with the fan that marked it an Uchiha heirloom. Beautiful, but deadly. Sliding it back in its sheath and fastening it to his belt in a way that was practical but would have had his very traditional family rolling in their graves with the utter disrespect of not wearing the proper obi to carry it in Sasuke followed after Naruto.

As they entered the building through the unlocked front door and came to the stairs Sasuke pushed past Naruto to take the lead, and to his surprise the other didn’t say anything, just fell into step behind him, gun in hand.

They swiftly ran up the stairs to the third floor, locating the door marked 3C. It was closed, but when Sasuke reached towards the doorknob it swung open, never having been locked. Sasuke hoped it meant that the boyfriend had left it open for them rather than that the vampire had left the building. It was lot more difficult finding a vampire on the loose than one still sleeping, obviously.

Sasuke unsheathed his blade as he stepped into the apartment. The floor was sticky with blood underneath his shoes. Looking around he took in the bloodbath. The vampire in charge of this had been a messy eater, and Sasuke wondered if he'd actually eaten any blood at all, or if he had just tapped the blonde girl and tossed it around the apartment for the hell of it. The floors and walls and even the ceiling were painted a splotchy red.

Tossing a glance over his shoulder Sasuke was surprised to see Naruto seemingly unaffected by the place. But then again, two years on the force, he probably had seen all kinds of shit as it was. Vampires might be evil bastards, but so were humans.

Naruto shut the entrance door behind them, and Sasuke turned back, looking over the living room for any sign of a vampire. Apart from the blood there were no sign of a body. Carefully stepping over the drenched carpet he made his way across the room, heading towards the closest of the closed doors.

Throwing it open and lifting his blade he peered into the bathroom. It was still pristine, all white tiles and marble. No body in sight. Stepping back he headed to the last closed door, what had to be the bedroom.

Grasping the doorknob he was about to pull it open when the door swung open by itself, slamming into him and throwing him to the floor. He barely had time to see red eyes and white fangs before the vampire threw itself at Naruto.

Jumping to his feet Sasuke swung into action, blade flying through the air, aiming at a delicate neck just as the back of the vampire's head exploded in a cloud of blood and bone and brain tissue. The vampire crumbled to the ground, the silver nitrate doing its job as it started eating at the remains, leaving behind nothing but ash as it worked. Sasuke stilled his blade, pointing directly at the blond man standing before him, gun still held out from his body.

Blue eyes were wide as they stared down at the body on the floor, entire head now nothing but dust. They would need to sprinkle more silver on it to get rid of the rest of the body, but it certainly was good and dead.

Sasuke thought he saw a hint of a shiver on the other man's hands, and was wondering if Naruto would break down completely. He certainly wouldn’t be the first. One of his earlier partners had not dealt well with the killing part of their job and Sasuke hadn’t had to do anything to drive him away, he had managed that all by himself.

Naruto's hands slowly lowered, gun now pointed at the floor rather than at Sasuke. Blue eyes were still wide as he looked up at him, and for a moment he just stared at him. Sasuke wasn’t sure if the other was going into shock or if he was just really stupid, but he was starting to worry he might need to call in someone when the blond finally spoke.

"So, that was quick?"

Sasuke just turned around, making sure that the bedroom was empty of any other vampires before pulling out his cell, calling in the affirmed execution. Kakashi would arrange with a clean-up crew to come in and deal with the mess. The vampire would not be able to rise again, not without its head, so it was safe to leave the body behind.

Katana placed back in its sheath he walked out of the apartment, mentally wincing at the stickiness underneath his shoes. He was hoping the leather wasn’t completely ruined with all the blood, he did not feel like having to go out and buy new shoes.

XXX

Naruto was quick to follow Sasuke as he exited the apartment. He would not be surprised if the raven just left him behind if he wasn’t in the car the moment he turned the key in the ignition.

Sliding down in the leather seats of the Lexus he noted that he was still holding his gun, fingers white from having clutched it too hard. Willing his fingers to loosen he switched on the safety and tucked the gun back in its holster on his left side. He had gone through a lot of combat training, and had spent countless hours at the range, but surprisingly paper targets just weren’t the same as the real thing.

He knew vampires were nothing but demons, but that did not change the fact that they looked very much like humans, and Naruto had never ever shot a human before. Not once in his years on the force had he needed to fire his gun, but that had changed on the first day out on his new job.

Fine, he should have seen it coming, and intellectually he had always known he would have to kill if he was going to be an agent, vampires were never apprehended, they were executed, unless there was some information they wanted to coax from them, but thinking about it and actually doing it was two very different things.

He had not hesitated in the heat of the moment though, and he was glad extensive training had ensured he reacted instantly. Fine, Sasuke had that wicked blade at the ready and had been mere seconds away from taking out the vampire when Naruto took care of it, but he felt that he had proved himself to the raven now, maybe the bastard would thaw somewhat when he realised Naruto wasn’t completely useless.

So far Sasuke hadn’t said anything to him at all, they'd just driven in silence back towards the office, Naruto hanging on to Sasuke's tail as they left the car and headed towards the elevator, no way was he running up those stairs.

As he had been instructed they would need to the two of them headed towards Kakashi's office for a debriefing.

The grey-haired man, who had refused to be called anything other than his first name was sitting behind his desk, feet on the table, book in hand. Naruto peered over at Sasuke, and noticed the ever-present glare on his face, suggesting that nothing was out of the ordinary. Naruto couldn’t see the cover of the book, but he reckoned it was some kind of book on vampires or weapons or something, for Kakashi to be reading it at work. The orange cover didn’t give much away, and with the way Kakashi was holding it Naruto couldn’t see the title.

Sasuke folded his hands over his chest, still glaring but otherwise seemingly waiting patiently for Kakashi to finish. Naruto almost imitated his pose, but settled with burying his hands in his pockets.

"How did it go?" Kakashi suddenly said as he closed the book and put it into a desk drawer. Naruto wasn’t sure what he should say, but luckily Sasuke jumped in.

"Vampire had woken, but was still in the apartment, in the bedroom." He hesitated, like he was deliberating what he should tell Kakashi next. "It knocked me to the ground and flew at rookie, who shot it in the head. Clean kill."

Naruto was surprised to hear that Sasuke not only acknowledged that Naruto had been the one to kill it, but also that he had been knocked to the ground by a fledgling vampire. For some reason Naruto had thought Sasuke would gloss over that part, the raven didn’t seem like the type to admit to any flaws on his part. He was going to let the rookie comment fly because of it. Usually he would have been pissed off at the term, he had been on the police force for two years before coming here, he was no damned rookie anymore.

"Good work, Naruto," Kakashi said, sounding pleased, however difficult it was to tell behind the mask he wore. The man leaned closer to him, mismatched eyes looking at him as if they were trying to see how Naruto was doing. Naruto pushed weird feelings he had about having killed someone to the back of his mind and offered up a grin. He did not need to be taken off active duty after one lousy night in the field!

Kakashi seemed pleased enough with that, although Naruto had the sneaky suspicion that Kakashi could see right through that grin to the insecurity lurking behind it, but if that was the case he was obviously letting it go.

"I want the report on my desk before you leave for the night," he merely said and propped his legs back up on his desk, book materializing in his hands again. Kakashi was certainly nothing like your usual boss. Naruto was pretty damned sure that he was going to like the grey-haired man a lot. Now if only he could have said the same thing about his partner…

 


	4. Chapter 4

Naruto yawned as he stepped out of the elevator, hands moving through his hair, ruffling it up even more than usual. He noted that apart from himself only Neji and Temari was in the room, the others probably not in yet, or out on some mission. Their work hours were fluid, although most of them overlapped in the late evening. Thankfully Sasuke was nowhere to be seen. Naruto had to go through some files on a case that was building up downtown, and he very much didn’t need Sasuke breathing down his neck.

At some point during his first couple of weeks in the department Sasuke had changed tactics. First he had been all about ignoring Naruto, now he was all about hounding him. Always hanging over his shoulder, criticising everything about him, whether it was a typo in a report, or a wrinkled shirt. It was amazing how the raven managed to annoy him that much, while still never going past his "three words is long enough for a sentence" rule. It was all _coffee again?_ when Naruto came in with the tiniest splotch of coffee on his pants, to _misspelled word, really?_ when he well knew it was just a typo. That condescending voice paired with that constant smirk just said so much more.

Naruto had no idea what Sasuke had against him. Sure, Naruto looked a bit dishevelled for an agent, and he wasn’t as much of a nit-picker when it came to his typing, but Naruto was good at his job. He'd killed three vampires so far. Sure, Sasuke had bagged nine, but just because Naruto didn’t push the other aside to get the kill, didn’t mean he couldn't have.

Naruto had tried being friendly in the beginning, but now he had given up and just did his best to ignore the other and prove himself. 

Kiba had told him how Sasuke gave all his partners a hard time, but Naruto was going to show him that he wasn’t a quitter like the others. Apart from Sasuke he really liked his unit. Kiba was super awesome, and the rest of the guys seemed great as well. And although he had turned out to be a lazy perv Kakashi was a pretty excellent boss as well, although however he managed to run the unit while still devoting most of his time to his dirty novels (yeah, apparently they hadn’t been work related at all), was beyond Naruto.

Sitting down at his computer he turned to switch it on while going into his desk drawer to fish out the file he had been looking through yesterday.

He frowned when the drawer didn’t budge. Figuring it had gotten jammed he wiggled it, and tried again, but no luck. It didn’t budge at all. Hunching down to look at it, wondering if it had some locking mechanism he hadn’t been beware of he ran his fingers around the edge of it. There were no visible keyhole, and it really made no sense for his desk to have a super hidden way to lock it.

Naruto grabbed onto the handle with both hands and tugged hard, but all that earned him was a pencil to his head as it rolled off the desk.

About to give up and call for a janitor or something Naruto noticed something lying on the very top of his trash can, like someone had placed it there gingerly rather than just tossed it away. Naruto pulled the trash can closer to see what it was, and the moment he saw what it was he knew who the culprit was.

If Sasuke had been in the room he would have gotten the entire trash can tossed on his head, but the raven had apparently been smart enough to go hide somewhere. Naruto shoved the trash can back underneath his desk and ignored the drawer for now. Why ever Sasuke had superglued his drawer shut he had no idea, but he was not going to give him the satisfaction of getting a response. No, Naruto was just going to pretend it hadn’t happened, and find a sharp knife to get it open when Sasuke left. If Sasuke really thought this was enough to get him to leave he was sorely mistaken.

Noticing that his computer had long since booted up he typed in his password, yelping when the speakers exploded in a loud beeping noise. He hurried to turn down the noise, but not before getting the attention of Neji and Temari, as well as Kiba, who seemed to have joined them at some point while Naruto was busy fighting with his desk drawer.

Kiba meandered over, just in time to get a good look at the new background picture currently decorating the desktop. Naruto's eyes widened in horror when he saw the biggest fucking cock he had ever seen, all dark brown and veiny and just. So. Damned. Shiny. A blush crept on his face as Kiba fell apart in laughter behind him. Naruto fumbled for his mouse, hoping to get the picture gone before—

"Oh my, I had no idea you liked those!"

Naruto winced as he turned around and saw Kakashi standing behind him, eyes glittering with amusement. Sputtering he tried to explain that he had not done this himself, but Kakashi just chuckled and walked off, humming. Great, now Kakashi thought he had some great fascination with cocks.

Fuming by now Naruto quickly tossed his jacket over the screen, hiding that awful picture, but sadly not before Temari had seen enough to join Kiba in the breakdown. Neji was the only one who didn’t look to have reacted at all, still sitting behind his computer. Naruto wasn’t sure if he dared removing the jacket to change the picture, or if he should just take the computer out back and euthanize it. Monstrous cocks in high-definition were not what he wanted to watch while trying to work.

Naruto was going to fucking kill Sasuke. Tampering with his computer like that, that shit had to be illegal! Naruto had a goddamned password, Sasuke must have hacked him to get access to his user, all for a stupid prank. Not even a particularly good one, it would take more for Naruto be embarrassed for long. Besides, everyone was going to have to realise Naruto wouldn’t actually have used a monster cock as his background picture, no one was that flamingly gay were they? Naruto groaned and leaned his head against his desk. This was not how he envisioned working at DPA would be. He had hoped it would be a chance for him to prove that Naruto Uzumaki was a good guy, and he had feared that it would be yet another place for him to be ostracised, but never ever had he thought he would end up the victim of a moody bastard like Sasuke. Sure, it was better than being beat up on a regular basis, and in a way it was better than being completely shunned like he had been on the police force, but he wasn’t sure how he was going to deal with Sasuke. The raven was complicated, and no matter what Naruto did it seemed to annoy Sasuke. The only times Sasuke seemed to tolerate him was when they were in the field. When they were hunting Sasuke stopped being a complete prick and just went into super-serious-agent mode.

***

Sasuke snickered to himself when he heard the tell-tale beeps marking that Naruto had logged into his computer. The bark of laughter that followed from Kiba, and Sasuke knew they had all seen the new background on his computer. Temari's feminine laughter soon followed, and Sasuke would bet ever dime to the Uchiha name that Kakashi had seen as well, he was quick to move and had an uncanny ability to catch up on everything perverted.

Sasuke had come in extra early today, and spent the time alone coming up with ways to get Naruto to take the hint and transfer back to the police force already. The glue and the computer was only the first part. To be honest, the computer background was probably the one he was the least satisfied with. It wasn’t terribly inventive, but seeing how he didn’t really know the guy enough, he went with something blatantly obvious. He hoped Naruto was one of those guys who hated getting his masculinity questioned.

Deciding it was about time he got back to his desk to see the reaction on the blond's face he moved out from the kitchen nook, striding directly across the room toward his desk, which was conveniently placed just behind Naruto's. He almost smiled when he saw the red still tainting Naruto's cheeks. The other looked gloriously pissed off.

Naruto looked up as Sasuke walked past him, and jumped up from his chair, getting right up in Sasuke's face.

"That's fucking illegal!"

Sasuke just smirked.

"You can't hack my computer like that, bastard!"

"I didn't _hack_ it," Sasuke said. "RamenRules is just a really lame password."

Naruto sputtered, hands fisting at his side. For a moment Sasuke thought he was going to attack him, but nope. Too bad, maybe it would have gotten him thrown out of the department. Okay, with Kakashi as a leader it wasn’t likely he'd be thrown out just for throwing a lousy punch, at least not when Kakashi knew how much Sasuke wanted Naruto gone. He was pretty sure their leader would take great pleasure in making sure Naruto stuck around for a good long time, just to annoy Sasuke.

"Bastard," Naruto gritted through clenched teeth, but then he seemed to change his mind on the whole confrontation and just turned back, sitting down in his chair again. Sasuke smirked as he heard the small click that signalled that is third trap had been released. Crossing his arms he watched with glee as Naruto's chair wobbled, then fell apart. The whole seat parted from the base, and it sent the blond crashing to the floor in a mess of flailing arms and sprawling legs, a scream making sure the others all got a good look at less than graceful tumble.

Kiba laughed, Temari laughed, Neji ignored them, and Naruto, oh Naruto looked like he wanted to kill Sasuke. It almost made Sasuke slightly worried when he remembered that Naruto was shifter, and angered shifters tended to get pretty damned violent. He almost expected to see the rippling of skin that usually came with a shift, but Naruto just stared at him calmly, murder in his eyes.

Then something snapped, and he exploded up off the floor.

***

Naruto's fist flew through the air, aimed directly at a smirk. Sasuke dodged the flying appendage, grabbing onto the wrist as it whizzed past him, using Naruto's momentum to send him flying into the wall, teeth jarring with the impact.

Naruto spun around, leg flying out to connect with a shin that did not have the time to get away, and he heard the very satisfying sound of Sasuke yelping in pain. The satisfaction were short-lived when a fist shot out, connecting with Naruto's stomach hard enough to send air flying from his lungs. He doubled over in pain, only to find new pain blossoming on his cheek as another fist connected with his face.

Using the fact that he was hunched over to his advantage he rammed his head into Sasuke's abdomen, shoving the raven back first into the nearest desk. He heard the sound of office supplies flying, and wood creaking, but couldn’t muster up a care in the world for the office furniture. All he could care about now was how fucking pissed off he was, and how fucking good it felt to hit his partner.

His fist connected with Sasuke's cheek bones with a satisfying sound, and Naruto knew the raven would sport an impressive shiner the next day. He was about to give him a matching one on the other cheek when Sasuke head-butted him in the nose. Blood gushed, and Naruto's eyes widened, suddenly afraid his nose might be broken, it hurt like hell, so it was a possibility. Fuck, if he hadn’t been angry before he certainly was now, he did not want a crooked nose, he really didn’t. He liked his nose goddammit!

He sent his foot flying, aimed at the Uchiha family jewels when he suddenly found himself yanked away by the back of his shirt. He squirmed, but strong arms locked themselves around his body, pinning his arms down his side.

He growled, but knew there was no need to fight the hold, not when he saw Neji launch himself at Sasuke, likewise pinning the other man. Naruto settled with the angriest glare he could muster- Sasuke seeming to have taken the same route, judging by the way he looked like he wanted to flay Naruto alive. The raven didn’t seem to like having his features rearranged on his face, vain bastard.

***

Sasuke stared at the grey-haired unit leader through his bangs, ignoring the ache in his face every time he tried to deepen his scowl. Kakashi was staring back seemingly waiting for either of the two guys currently seated beside each other to start explaining. Sasuke had no intention to explain anything, and judging by his silence, neither had Naruto.

Kakashi leaned back in his chair, and not doing anything to break the silence that had been all he was met with the last five minutes since Neji and Kiba had deposited the two hotheads in his office. Sasuke was still not happy that he hadn’t been allowed to completely kick the shit out of Naruto's ass before they had been stopped.

Casting a small glance to the side he smirked when he saw Naruto. The blond's cheek was an angry red from where Sasuke had punched him, and cotton buds were shoved into both his nostrils, stanching the flow of blood. It didn’t look like the nose was broken, but it had bled like nobody's business. The blond still hadn’t cleaned off, so his lower face and shirt was still splotched with red.

Sure, Sasuke was probably not looking too hot himself right now, what with what he could only assume would be an impressive black eye, and a shin that hurt enough that he had barely been able to keep from hobbling when he was half-led, half-dragged into Kakashi's office.

"You are going be the ones to clean up, you know that right?" Kakashi said, getting their attention.

"He fucking started it," Naruto growled in response.

"You fucking punched first, loser!" Sasuke retorted. Now, he had every intention of keeping his cool, but he was finding it increasingly hard around Naruto. Every single thing the blond said and did just infuriated him to no ends.

"You broke my chair! And glued my desk shut! And the computer!"

"I didn't hurt you though!"

"That chair could have killed me!"

"Don't be a fucking pussy."

"What have I ever done to you for you to fucking torment me like this? It's not my fucking fault you need a partner, you should be pissed off at Kakashi!"

"Now, now, now, let's just stop right there," Kakashi suddenly injected, arms held up to protect himself as Sasuke suddenly snapped towards him. Naruto was right, it wasn’t his fault he was stuck with the loser as a partner, it was _Kakashi's_ fault.

Sasuke trained his dark eyes on their leader, making sure Kakashi understood that if he weren’t their boss he would be in for a world of hurt right now. Kakashi just smiled behind his mask, evidently not very afraid of Sasuke.

"You are both capable agents, and when you aren’t fighting you do work great together, even if you don’t see it yet. No matter how hard you try I am not going to reassign Naruto and let you go out there solo, so you can just stop whatever plans you are brewing right now. And Naruto, I figured you would be thick-skinned enough not to let this icicle get to you."

Sasuke figured he was supposed to be offended, but it wasn’t the first time he had been called cold-hearted, and to be honest there was truth to it. He didn’t have the luxury of letting emotions run his life, he had vengeance he needed to get. Stupid things like partners and friends just got in the way of that, but he couldn't very well use that argument. He was pretty sure Kakashi knew all about his side project, he didn’t become unit leader for not knowing what was going on with his unit, but so far he wasn’t saying anything, letting Sasuke work on it on the side, seeing how it wasn’t affecting his work. He probably wouldn’t always be this lenient if Sasuke kept pushing him though. Maybe he should call off the other tricks he had intended to pull on the other, and rather settle with just ignoring the blond until he screwed up all by himself. Being a shifter he was probably volatile enough that he would.

Good thing Sasuke had had a good long time to prepare his tricks morning, so even if he didn’t go through with any new ones Naruto was going to lose his shit completely when he realised that messing with his chair wasn’t the last surprise Sasuke had left him. Sasuke smirked to himself, this might be a fun week after all. Sure, it was utterly childish, and he should be professional enough to rise above it all and just deal with having a moron for a partner, but the reactions he managed to coax out of Naruto was just too enjoyable. No one lost their temper quite as spectacularly. It was totally worth a shiner or ten.

***

Kakashi closed the door being Sasuke and Naruto as the two of them left his office, shaking his head as he walked back to his desk. The two of them were certainly a handful, and he was sure most of the other unit leaders would have slapped a suspension on their foreheads immediately.

Kakashi wasn’t most unit leaders though. He'd been working with Sasuke ever since the raven was a rookie himself, and he put up with the raven's diva behaviour for a very good reason. If Sasuke wasn’t working for the unit he would not hesitate to go rogue. Although Sasuke never told Kakashi anything about his past, Kakashi knew enough about the kid's background to know he was driven by a darkness that made it hard for him to fit into the standard agent mould. Sasuke was an impressive fighter, but in truth he was more of a soldier than an agent.

Working for the DPA meant Kakashi could keep an eye on him, could focus his darkness on fighting vampires in controlled ways. Forcing him to have partners meant there was always someone else watching out for him, ensuring that he didn’t lose himself completely in the fight. None of the ones Sasuke had been partnered with so far had really understood though. They couldn’t get past the mask of arrogance that Sasuke put up for everyone, and soon asked to be transferred.

Naruto was strong though. Having grown up being looked down upon he had hopefully developed the thick skin one would need to work with Sasuke, and Kakashi hoped maybe this time there would be a proper partnership in the future.

He feared Sasuke was getting closer to snapping and going off the grid completely soon, and there was no doubt in Kakashi's mind that by doing so Sasuke would end up dead. No matter how capable of a fighter he was, no human could survive for long going up single-handedly against the demons. He'd take on too much, and that would be the death of him.

Kakashi picked up his beloved Icha Icha book and leaned back in his chair. After dealing with Sasuke and Naruto's fight he surely deserved to relax with his book.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Fight! Fight! Fight!


	5. Chapter 5

Naruto angrily scrubbed his hands in the bathroom at work, muttering under his breath. The ink was proving to be very unwilling to be washed away, and it looked like he was going to be stuck with blue fingers until the colour was rubbed away naturally. He was going to murder Sasuke! For the last two days he had kept finding "surprises" Sasuke had left him, and every time he brought it up to Kakashi their leader just laughed it off, saying that Sasuke was doing as he had been told. But just because there weren’t any new traps laid on his work space didn’t meant the raven shouldn’t be told to remove all the ones he had set already.

Sure, Naruto would have found the exploding ballpoint pen hilarious under normal circumstances, it was exactly something he would have done back in junior high, but constantly finding these little gifts was growing old real soon. This was the second exploding pen, but he'd also had to endure all his papers glued together into a solid block in his desk drawers when he finally did get them open, as well as all kinds of shit to his computer, Seriously, Naruto didn’t even know there was some setting that made incoming e-mails moan obscenely rather than ding, or one that made your desktop all flipped and upside down. He hadn’t noticed it immediately because of the huge cock that had kind of taken all the attention, but whenever he tried to push his mouse, the cursor would go down, and when he moved it to the left the cursor would go to the right. He spent half an hour trying to figure out how to get it right again, and now he thought the cock image was to be forever emblazoned on his mind, not to mention he had a hell of a crick in his neck from trying to stand upside down to see what the menus said. It didn’t help that Kiba had spent most of the half hour on the floor in stitches, refusing to help him.

There'd been other pranks as well, but Naruto just wanted to forget all about them, he didn’t particularly want to remember having to go kill vampires while looking like he had wet himself. And then there was the stapler…

Shuddering Naruto ran his hands over the twin punctures on the back his hand from that last incident.

Finally getting out of the bathroom, hands still blue he immediately pulled out the drawer with the pencils and other office supplies and promptly upended it in the trash can. He was not taking any chances. He could hear a snicker from the desk behind him, but ignored it. Sasuke was a cold bastard, but he seemed to take immense pleasure in torturing Naruto. Kiba had confessed that he had never seen Sasuke happier than these last days, that the fact that there was something that might be a smile on the raven's face—if one frowned and tipped one's head slightly to the side—had been completely unheard of before this. 

Naruto figured he should be happy the stick up the raven's ass was trying to dislodge, but he would have preferred if it wasn’t on his account. 

The one good thing about all of this was that even though he was a complete asshole, Sasuke was professional enough to take their job seriously. So whenever they left for a mission he was all ruthless efficiency, never doing anything to mess up for either of them. He still growled every time Naruto did anything other than staying in the background and fiddling with his thumbs, but it was better than nothing. 

Truth be told, Naruto was used to be treated like shit, so Sasuke being a bastard wasn’t that much of a change. The biggest difference was probably that Sasuke wasn’t a bastard to Naruto because of his shifter status, but because Sasuke was a bastard to everyone. It was a nice relief to be honest, and the reason Sasuke could try and scare him away as much as he wanted to, Naruto wasn’t going anywhere. Unit Seven was the first place he had ever been accepted for being who he was, and it felt great. And it wasn’t like Sasuke could be a bastard forever, at some point he would grow tired and just accept that until Naruto got promoted he was stuck with him. 

Lost in thought Naruto didn’t notice Kakashi coming over until he heard his deep voice behind him. Swivelling around on his chair he hoped they were to get another mission. He still wasn’t all that comfortable with his role as executioner, but he was getting bored with fiddling with reports and going through intel. He was more of an in-the-field type person. Sitting still for too long made him antsy. 

"I need you guys out there. Head office just sent over pictures from a recent murder scene. An obvious vampire kill. The first responders took care of the bodies so they wouldn’t rise, but there's a vampire on the loose, and with how sloppy the murder was it is probably deep in blood lust. We need you to hit 13th street and north, over to Upton Street, Kiba and Kankuro will take 13th and south. There's likely to be a body trail."

Naruto and Sasuke just nodded and quickly left for the elevator. Kiba had left with his partner a while earlier, so they would already be in the field. 

They both knew time was of an essence. Vampires on a kill spree were never good news, and they wanted to keep the body count as low as possible.

As per usual they took the Lexus, Sasuke gliding into the driver's seat, Naruto dumping into the passenger seat with a lot less grace. Neither spoke as they drove through the city streets. It was in the middle of the night, the moon high above their heads and street lights doing what they could to illuminate the city. Naruto fidgeted in the seat, glancing out at the streets, blue eyes scanning for any signs of anything out of the ordinary. They were getting closer to the murder scene, and Naruto was prepared to jump out the moment they saw any hint of the vampire or another body. 

The street was eerily quiet, no people outside at all. Upton Street was a residential area, so there were no nightclubs or anything people would flock to, not to mention that it was Wednesday, most people had work in the morning and would be at home, tucked into their beds, completely oblivious to the carnage right outside the walls of their homes. 

Naruto could make out the flickering blue lights of police cars in the distance, telling them they were getting closer. They would go to the murder scene, get what info they could from the police officers before going hunting. 

Kakashi had said the vampire was most likely influenced by blood lust, a condition Naruto had only read about and not yet experienced. When young vampires drank too much blood in too short a time it went to their heads, sending them into a frenzy only consuming more blood could sate. They would go on binges, draining dozens of bodies in a matter of days, until they blacked out, going dormant from the overdose of blood. Sasuke and Naruto's job was to make sure the vampire didn’t have time to finish his binge. Whenever the vampires awoke from their dormant stage they went straight back into their killing frenzy, the process repeating itself until someone stopped them, and that someone was going to be Naruto. 

He was itching to show that he was just as good as Sasuke, which wasn’t easy when the raven got in most of the kills. Naruto was great with guns, and good with knives, and knew he could take down even frenzied vampires. He was going to show Sasuke he could be the best partner the raven could have ever wished for. 

 

***

The crime scene hadn’t told them much they didn’t already know. The victim's throat was ripped out completely, and there were obvious signs that the vampire had wanted blood bad. With such a vicious kill there were bound to be a lot of spillage, but as it turned out it looked like the vampire had gone so far as to drop to all fours lick blood off the ground, judging by the marks on the ground. For a vampire to go so primal meant he was very much out of his mind. Vampires might be demons, but they were usually a lot more sophisticated than this. Most vampires were all about luring their victims in, revelling in knowing that the humans were stupid enough to fall for their twisted seduction. The vampire they were hunting tonight was more like a rabid dog, completely uncontrollable and likely to attack anything that got too close.

Bloody foot prints indicated the direction the vampire had taken off, and Sasuke immediately headed the same way. Naruto was quick to follow, knowing Sasuke would have no qualms about leaving him behind if he didn’t keep up with him.

They were in a pretty middle class neighbourhood, all trimmed lawns and small houses. No alleys to hide in, so the vampire would have probably headed towards a house to find new targets, which meant it could be just about anywhere. Sasuke knew that the houses around here were all family homes. Normal human beings, just living their lives like they had always done, the threat of vampires only something they read about in newspapers or something distant, something a friend of an uncles's colleague experienced. Sasuke knew that the chance were great that some of these people would get a harsh reality check tonight, and it was their job to try and save them, leaving them with nightmares rather than death. Nightmares they could live with, death… not so much.

The bloody footprints soon vanished, washed away by the dewy grass the vampire had been running through, but they had a direction now, and it didn’t take them long to see where the vampire had been headed. 

The house was single story, a neat little garden in front of it, so average it could be the poster house of normality. What did catch Sasuke's eyes was the very visible red handprint on the door, made so apparent by the porch light. Sasuke started running towards the house, and grabbed the door handle, yanking it. It didn’t budge, which probably meant the vampire hadn’t been able to get in here, as no frenzied vampire would have the mind to lock a door behind them. 

Sasuke motioned for Naruto to head in one direction, and he was pleased to see that the blond immediately realised what he wanted. They split up, quickly running around the building, looking for any potential entry points. Sasuke had long since pulled his katana out of its sheath, wanting to be prepared if the vampire was lying in hiding. It wasn’t likely that it would be sane enough to realise that hiding would be a good strategy, but vampires were unpredictable. 

"Here!" he suddenly heard Naruto call out, and as Sasuke came around the edge of the house he saw Naruto climbing through a broken window. Sasuke growled, not happy with the fact that the blond was taking the lead, but not about to do anything to jeopardize the job. 

He ran over to the window, grabbing the ledge and easily swinging in after his partner, katana back in its holster for the short climb. Glass crunched underneath the leather boots he had donned tonight, and he winced at the sound, knowing that the vampire might pick up on the sound. He glanced around, locating Naruto standing just a few feet further into the room.

They had entered into the kitchen, several more bloody palm prints showing that they definitely was on the vampire's tail. Now they could only hope they weren’t too late, that the vampire was still in the house. If they lost track of the vampire it would mean a complete blood bath, they needed to stop it as soon as possible.

Blade back in his hand he crept through the dark room, heading into what appeared to be the living room. The house was eerily quiet, not a good sign at all. Past the living room they came into a small hallway, four doors leading away from it. Bedrooms and bathroom most likely. Sasuke cursed when he saw two open doors, reddish marks on either doorjamb. 

Going towards the first one he could hear Naruto following him. A glance back and he saw a very determined look on the other's face. He was holding his gun, ready to shoot the moment he saw a sign of the vampire. His blue eyes were narrowed, showing his concentration. Gaze flickering towards Sasuke for a moment Naruto gave a small nod to show that he was ready, and Sasuke toed open the first door. 

His eyes scanned the room, taking in pale green walls with a floral border around the roof, sturdy pine furniture, a queen sized bed with what had probably been white sheets at some point, but now were soaked through with red. Sasuke could make out two lumps on top of it, although they no longer looked like the humans they once were, they looked more like minced meat. The vampire had taken his time with these two, ripping them apart with its fangs. Sasuke's gut churned, but he bit it down as he turned back, motioning towards the other open door. 

Dreading what he would see he quickly pushed it open. Pale blue wallpaper with tiny airplanes and clouds. Toys strewn on the floor, a tiny bed, bed sheets likewise soaked through with sticky red, the smell of copper thickly sweet in the air. 

A part of him really didn’t want Naruto to see what he was looking at, and he quickly turned around, wanting to close the door before—

Blue eyes were wide in horror as they stared past Sasuke's shoulders, and Sasuke knew he had been too late. He would have to share this particular nightmare with his partner. There was no time for this though, not now. Naruto could break down later. There were two more doors to investigate. 

Quickly Sasuke pushed Naruto into the hallway, closing the door to the boy's room behind him, shaking his partner until blue eyes locked on his own dark. Sasuke could see emotion flicker in them, horror and disgust, but they soon vanished in steely determination. Naruto wasn’t cracking, not yet. 

A sudden sound of breaking glass came from their left, from one of the rooms they hadn’t yet been in, and without hesitation Sasuke threw the door open. The boyband posters and pictures of horses on pink walls were splattered with red, but Sasuke didn’t have time to look at the remains of the daughter of the house, he bolted towards the now broken window, leaping out of it. They were right on the tail of the vampire, having interrupted it mid-feeding. The monster must have heard them out in the hallway and left rather than take them on. Pretty smart for a mindless killer.

Sasuke could see a shadow jumping over the fence, heading towards the neighbouring house. Sasuke could not allow him to reach those houses, could not let the demon take more lives tonight. He had already failed one family, he could not fail again. Pushing his legs to move faster he ran towards it, pleased to hear Naruto following close behind. One strong hand closed on the edge of the fence as he swung his body over it, landing lightly on the lawn on the other side. The shadow he was stalking vanished around the corner of the house. One quick glance back towards Naruto, and they split up again, going around the house from both directions, hoping to corner the vampire. 

The ease in which they communicated, a small nod or single word told them what the other wanted was surprising to Sasuke. He wasn’t used to people getting what he wanted, and where he was pretty sure his former partners would have frowned and not realised what Sasuke wanted, Naruto immediately understood Sasuke's plan and acted accordingly. Sasuke would never admit it to anyone, nor would he stop wanting to do this alone, but Naruto and him actually made a pretty good team, even if they'd only been partnered up for a couple of weeks.

Sasuke rounded the corner to see absolutely nothing. Then Naruto came barrelling around the corner, skidding to a stop when he too saw nothing but his partner. The vampire wouldn’t have had time to leave the garden yet, they would have seen him, and the windows of the house were still intact, so it hadn’t gone through there. Sasuke jogged towards the fence to see if he could see the vampire, if it maybe had managed to get over it before the saw when he heard a sharp cry followed by a loud bang.

He snapped around to see Naruto on the ground, a shape drenched in blood sitting atop him, fanged mouth snapping towards a vulnerable neck. Naruto must have tried to shoot it, but missed, and now the vampire was too close for him to shoot it anymore. 

Time froze. The vampire was scrawny, his long hair matted with drying blood. He had the strength of a vampire though, doubled by his insanity, and no matter how frail his human host would have been the demon inside were strong, keeping Naruto pinned firmly to the ground as he leaned closer.

Sasuke snapped out of it and exploded into action as his katana swung behind his neck, long legs not going fast enough, no matter how hard he pushed them. It seemed like everything still went in slow motion. The vampire craned over Naruto, hands curled around his biceps, keeping the blond immobilized, fangs bared. Naruto trashed, but the demon was too strong, had the upper hand. Naruto wouldn’t be able to get to his weapons, wouldn’t be able to get away, wouldn’t…

A high-pitched scream pierced the night as bloody fangs bit into the frail skin on Naruto's neck. Sasuke screamed out in horror at being too late just as his katana ripped through the vampire's back, severing its spinal cord with a nasty crunching sound. 

Knowing the severe damage wouldn’t be enough to kill the beast Sasuke grabbed its lank hair, pulled it away from his partner and neatly brought his blade down, separating head from body, kicking it away so he could fall to his knees next to Naruto's body. 

There was so much blood…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, sorry about the cliffhanger. I know you all reaaally love those. XD I promise to be quick with the next chapter though, so you won't have to wait too long for an update. Thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

A groan escaped his lips as he tried to open his eyes, finding his eyelids exceptionally heavy. Forcing them to cooperate he finally did get them to open, only to immediately have to close them again, the lights in the room way too bright. His mind was all foggy, and he had no idea where he was. The last thing he could remember was—  
  
"Are you awake?" a soft voice whispered, and Naruto instantly calmed at the familiar sound. Gingerly opening his eyes again, blinking at the brightness he tilted his head to the side and saw a tired looking Iruka sitting by his side. His hair was pulled into a ponytail, but it looked messy, strands escaping it to frame a face marred with the tell-tale signs of too little sleep.  
  
Seeing his father there calmed Naruto enough that he didn’t panic when he tried to speak and realised that his throat wasn’t ready to form words. It ached and when he swallowed to try and work up some saliva in his dry mouth sparks of pain shot down it, making him wince.  
  
"Don't strain yourself. You are in the hospital. You were attacked at work, do you remember?" Iruka said, leaning closer and laying a hand on his shoulder.  
  
Naruto closed his eyes again, and tried to focus his foggy brain. Work. Attacked. All he could remember were hunting down a vampire together with Sasuke and then his memories got all blurry. He saw flashes of red, and could remember a cloyingly sweet smell invading his nose, a smell he knew was blood.   
  
And then an image of onyx eyes flashed before him, eyes filled with worry in place of the usual emotionless glare. "Sasuke," Naruto whispered.  
  
"Your partner saved you. Apparently he called in for help, and when the ambulance came they found him sitting with your head in his laps, hands clasped to your wounds, stanching the blood flow as well as he could," Iruka explained as he filled a glass of water from a mug standing on the nightstand, lifting Naruto's head up from the pillow enough for him to drain it. It stung his throat slightly, but he felt better after the cool liquid had washed away the dryness of his mouth.   
  
"He saved me?" Naruto croaked. Talking still hurt, his throat sore, but it wasn’t too bad, mostly like it got with an angry cold. He wasn’t feeling any pain other than his throat either, so he was probably dosed up on painkillers. It helped explain his foggy mind. He was still struggling piecing memories together, and certainly couldn’t remember Sasuke saving him at all. He just remembered his eyes, and how they actually could show emotion. Who knew the stoic Uchiha had it in him to do such a thing.  
  
Iruka scooted his chair closer to Naruto, lifting his hand to brush through his unruly hair, fluffing up the blond spikes, just like he used to do when Naruto was a kid, sick or sad or scared.   
  
Naruto's parents had died when he was a baby, victims of the same shifter that had turned Naruto. No one knew who the shifter had been, or what had happened to him. The police had found Naruto in his crib, bloody and wounded, but still alive. The shifter was long gone and had never been apprehended.   
  
No one knew if Naruto had intentionally been left alive, or if it was accident that left the baby alive. He had ended up in foster care, bouncing around for a few years, until he finally ended up at Iruka's when he was eleven. The man had taken care of him like he was his own son, making him feel loved and taken care of and normal. Iruka never cared about the fact that Naruto was different, he loved him unconditionally. Iruka was like a father to him, and the two of them were their own little family.   
  
Whenever Naruto came home with a bloody nose after getting beat up by the bullies Iruka was there to wash his face and whenever Naruto came home, shaking with anger Iruka was there to hug him until it went away and he was back to his normally happy self. Around Iruka he was all smiles and bounce, around most other people he were more guarded. Naruto's one great wish was to be accepted, but so far the only place he had found acceptance had been at home, with Iruka, in their small apartment.  
  
Wasn’t it just typical though, when Naruto found another place he thought he would be accepted a goddamned vampire tried to kill him.   
  
"Get some rest now, Naruto, you'll need it for your body to heal," Iruka whispered, his cool hand resting on Naruto's forehead, cooling his heated skin. Naruto barely managed a small nod before he drifted off again, aided into a long sleep by the steady drip of painkillers into his arm.  


***

  
Iruka smiled softly as he looked down on Naruto, eyes tracking the steady rise and fall of his chest. His heart had nearly stopped when he had gotten the phone call telling him about the incident, about how Naruto was hurt and in surgery. He had dropped everything and left, needing to be with his son, to make sure he pulled through. Naruto had gone through too much already, he was not dying now, he couldn’t.   
  
Naruto was all the family Iruka had. He'd been orphaned young himself, and had no brothers or sisters. His life had been dull and lonely until he'd opened his home for the blond kid, who had been just as lonely as himself.   
  
He thought back to the first time he had met Naruto. Iruka was a teacher and had been temping for one of his co-workers, taking over Naruto's class. Naruto stood out like a sore thumb, not just because of the vibrantly bright hair, or the scars on his cheeks, but because he was so _loud_. He jumped around and threw stuff and was a general pain in the ass.   
  
This wasn’t all that unusual, most classes had a few troublemakers just like him. What was different was that the rest of the class seemed to collectively shy away from him. Most of the times the troublemakers would always make the class laugh, but no one laughed at Naruto's antics, they just shot him venomous gazes. Iruka was shocked at the hatred a bunch of ten year olds could show someone, and it broke his heart a little. Iruka knew well what the marks on Naruto's cheeks meant, besides, everyone in their town knew about the Uzumaki kid and what he was, but Iruka had never actually met him before, had never seen the way people acted around him.   
  
He'd talked to the headmaster after class, wanting to know more about Naruto, how he was doing. The headmaster seemed to share the student's opinion. _He shouldn’t go here, he's a danger to the other students_ , he'd said, completely straight-faced. It made Iruka sick. He was just a kid, how could they treat him like this?  
  
After that one day Iruka was more aware, and found himself looking out for Naruto. He'd keep an eye out, break up any fights, help him with his school work. Naruto was an eager student when he got him one on one. He just seemed to be acting out to coax some kind of reaction out of his fellow students.   
  
When Iruka finally learned about Naruto's multiple foster homes, and how he was probably going back into the system for another round because his current home just couldn’t deal with having a shifter in their house Iruka hadn’t hesitated a moment, and soon enough Naruto was moving in with him.  
  
Naruto had been so wary those first weeks, trying to appear as small and silent as he could. He probably feared Iruka would turn his back on him as everyone else had, but Iruka could never do such a thing. He saw Naruto for who he truly was, a lonely kid who desperately sought for recognition. He just wanted people to like him.  
  
Iruka leaned over the hospital bed, planting a soft kid on his forehead as he left the room. Naruto needed to sleep now, needed to heal in peace so he could get back out there. Iruka might not approve of his line of work, but he realised this was what Naruto wanted more than anything, and that he could support. Naruto was so strong, physically and mentally. If anyone could do this job well it was him.   
  
Out in the hallway he headed towards the coffee machine. He was tired, having spent the day travelling to be by Naruto's side when he woke up, so he needed the caffeine boost.   
  
"How is he?" he heard a voice from his side, and turned to see a man sitting on a bench on the other side of the small room where they'd put the coffee and vending machines. The man was cradling a coffee cup of his own, and had an orange book resting in his lap. Iruka frowned. The man had apparently been asking him, seeing how Iruka was the only other man in the room, but he had no idea who the guy was. The voice sounded a bit familiar though.  
  
The man rose and ran a hand through his grey hair, fluffing it up, as if it wasn’t already messy. He wore an eye patch, and a mask that covered the lower part of his face, and Iruka found himself wondering who the hell he was. Who walked around with masks like that?   
  
The man held out a hand, his one visible eye softening in what Iruka figured was a smile, but it was hard to see with the black mask.  
  
"I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself. We talked on the phone earlier? I'm Kakashi Hatake, Naruto's boss."   
  
Iruka realised where he had heard the voice before, this was the man who had called him to inform him of what had happened. He certainly looked nothing like he would have expected. He was too young for that. He had to be around Iruka's age, somewhere in the mid-thirties, from what he could tell of his face at least. There weren’t many wrinkles around his eyes, and he held himself like a younger man.   
  
Iruka couldn't help the way his eyes dropped down the other man's body, noticing just how fit he appeared to be underneath the white shirt and black slacks. Whipping his eyes back to the other man's face, hoping he hadn’t noticed he chastised himself. It had been way too long since he had been with anyone, but that didn’t mean he should go around ogling whoever he stumbled upon.   
  
Grabbing the offered hand he shook it, introducing himself as well, although he realised the other was aware of who he was already.   
  
"So, has he woken up yet?" the silver-haired man asked as Iruka walked over to get a coffee.   
  
"Yes, he was awake for a few minutes. He's doing fine, should be able to go home soon enough.   
  
"He's quite remarkable isn’t he?"   
  
Iruka smiled softly. "Yes, he really is."  
  


***

  
When Naruto woke again Iruka wasn’t in the room anymore, but another familiar face was.  
"Kiba!" he exclaimed happily, noting that his throat wasn’t as sore anymore.  
  
The brunet looked up from his cell phone, beaming when he saw Naruto awake.  
  
"Naruto, dude!" Jumping to his feet he strode over, throwing his ass down on the side of the bed, punching Naruto's shoulder.   
  
Naruto grinned. He was growing steadily fonder of Kiba, finding that the two of them had a lot in common.   
  
"You do know that you are supposed to kill the vampires ,right, not let them eat you?" Kiba said, fingers scratching at one tattooed cheek while still grinning.   
  
Naruto shoved at him, but didn’t quite manage to push the other out of the bed. "Shut up, mutt," Naruto playfully shot out, the other having earned the nickname by his love of dogs. His desk was filled with pictures of a white beast that was supposedly a dog but looked more like a small polar bear. "The fucker was hiding on the goddamned roof, how was I supposed to see him?"  
  
"Seriously? The roof? Sneaky bastard."   
  
The two of them exchanged playful banter for a few minutes, until Naruto's throat grew sore enough that they had to call for a nurse to come in with something to drink. She used the opportunity to change the dressing on his wounds.  
  
"How did it look?" Naruto asked, curious to know how badly hurt he was. The major wound was the one on the side of his neck, where the vampire had clamped down. It ached and was covered in heavy gauze, but Naruto couldn’t tell how badly hurt he was underneath. Other than the wound he had some bruising on his arm from where the vampire had held him down, and a few scrapes on his lower back. His shirt had obviously ridden up as the vampire threw him to the ground.   
  
Kiba had peered over the nurse's shoulder as she worked and the widening of his eyes and scrunching of his nose told Naruto it probably didn’t look too pretty.   
  
"That bad?"   
  
"That's like… a lot of stitches," he answered, nose wrinkling.  
  
The nurse spoke up before Kiba could elaborate. "Thirty seven stitches. The fangs tore you up pretty bad, but luckily the artery was only nicked, not torn completely. You are healing exceptionally fast, even for a shifter though, I think the stitches can come out in a couple of days. You've gotten a blood transfusion, so you could theoretically be back at work by then."  
  
"Theoretically?" Naruto asked  
  
"Trauma like this often leaves more than just physical scars."  
  
Naruto just huffed. "I'll live just fine. I just wanna get out of here as soon as possible."  
  
The nurse didn’t look particularly happy, but she didn’t comment as she redressed the wound and left Kiba and him alone again. Kiba's eyes trailed after her as she went, obviously liking what he saw. Naruto rolled his eyes and relaxed into the mattress, trying to ignore the way the wound ached whenever he moved his head too much. They must have gone easier on the painkillers for him to notice, but he'd manage just fine, he would just have to not move. Which would actually become a problem pretty soon, Naruto hated lying around not being able to do anything.  
  
"Kiba, is Sasuke okay? I don't remember what happened after the vampire bit me," Naruto suddenly asked. He remembered Iruka telling him that the other had pretty much saved his life, but he hadn’t thought to see if he was unharmed.  
  
"Yeah, not a scratch on his pretty little face," Kiba said. "Can't say the same for the vampire though, he was good and dead by the time Kankuro and I came over. Sasuke had taken the time to chop him into little pieces while the paramedics dealt with you. I think he has some anger management issues."   
  
Naruto frowned. Sasuke chopped the vampire into pieces? That was a bit over the top to put it mildly. The vampire had to be a young one, the old ones didn’t lose themselves to blood lust, so a simple decapitation or piercing of the heart would have sufficed.   
  
Shrugging to himself he pushed thoughts of Sasuke to the back of his mind. He was thankful that the other had saved his life, it proved that he didn’t completely hate his guts at least, and he would have to thank him later, but right now he didn’t want to think about the bastard, he wanted to do something fun with Kiba. He felt like he had already slept enough for a whole week, even if it had only been just over a day since the attack.   
  
"It's a good thing you're a shifter though, I would have hated having to hunt you down you know," Kiba said.  
  
"Pft, like you could have taken me. I would have drained you before you knew what was happening," Naruto shot back, Kiba feigning complete shock at his words.   
  
Actually, Kiba was right, it was damned helpful being a shifter. He probably would have been dead had he been human, but shifters healed a lot faster than humans. Also, vampires couldn’t change shifters, something about the beast within made it impossible for them to use the body as a conductor to get out of hell. This had still been a little too close for comfort though, if Sasuke hadn’t been there he would've been dead.   
  
It was a bit embarrassing really, to having let a vampire get him like that, but he really hadn’t expected him to be on the roof, and when it had attacked he had barely had time to fire his trigger. He'd missed though, never having had the time to aim at all. He needed to get better, needed to prove himself more than ever now.   
  


***

  
To the untrained eye Kakashi was reading his dirty novel again, but in actuality he had been staring at the same page for the last half hour, his mind working fulltime. He was glad that Naruto was pulling through just fine, and that Sasuke had shown enough empathy to not just let the blond bleed to death. Some people probably wouldn’t have put it past the Uchiha, but Kakashi knew him better than that. He knew some of what had made Sasuke such a tormented young man, and knew that if Naruto had died out there Sasuke would have seen it as a personal failure, and it would have pushed him even deeper into the darkness he lived in.  
  
Sasuke always complained about his partners, but Kakashi knew no one needed a partner more than the raven. Someone to look out for him so he didn’t lose himself completely to the hatred of the one he was really hunting. He had hoped the last partner would be the right person, a pretty young girl with enough backbone to stand up to him, but Sasuke had not taken well to Sakura, and the girl had needed a transfer of partner soon.  
  
The way Sasuke's was so awkward around Sakura and her obvious infatuation had made Kakashi wonder, and he had found someone completely different for his next partner.   
  
Naruto was a rookie, but he had more than proven that he was ready for the task, having excelled at agent training. On the surface he was completely different to Sasuke, light where Sasuke was dark, easy smile where Sasuke never smiled, but underneath that they were fundamentally equal.   
  
Both having lost their families at an early age, both having to fight their way through growing up, Sasuke battling his internal demons, Naruto trying to get accepted amongst his peers. Naruto was strong, and he was good, always looking out for others, or so he had learned reading through his papers from his years on the force. Kakashi hoped that Naruto would be the one to pull Sasuke out of the gloom. So far results had been… mixed.   
  
The two had seemingly developed a hatred to each other from day one, mostly due to Sasuke's hostility. They pressed each other's buttons, and to be honest, Kakashi was surprised they had only ended up in the one fist fight. At the same time Kakashi had seen something else though. Had seen two men who worked great together in the field. He didn’t think they would ever admit it, but it was obvious based on their mission reports. And then with the way Sasuke had reacted after Naruto was wounded... The paramedics had said the raven had lost it completely, butchering the vampire instead of the usual clean kill. Now, that sounded very much like something one should be worried about, but Kakashi saw it as something else, saw it as Sasuke caring for someone's wellbeing, saw him scared and reacting like a normal person, with anger towards the one who had hurt someone they cared about.   
  
Now, Kakashi was not saying it was a particularly healthy reaction, but it was _a_ reaction, and from the usually so very stoic man that was a good thing. Now if only they could get over their initial dislike of one another they could be a truly great team.   
  
Ever since Sasuke had joined the unit Kakashi had seen something in the other man, a pain so deep it would consume the other if left unchecked, and so he had taken on the unofficial role of guardian angel. Or meddling idiot as Sasuke kept referring it to. Either way, Kakashi knew what it was like to feel pain, deep, scarring mental pain, and he didn’t want Sasuke to succumb to it.   
  
Running his fingers along the edge of his mask, scratching just under it before letting it fall back into place, he mused. He definitely knew pain, the mask was evidence to just how messed up he himself was, but he hadn’t become lost in it like Sasuke was threatening to become. The raven haired agent's eyes were so steely cold, any emotions he might have hidden deep inside, not allowed to come to the surface. Kakashi hoped Naruto's energy might be just the thing to break through the shields, allowing Sasuke to feel something other than hatred.  
  
Kakashi just had to make sure Sasuke didn’t actually manage to scare away his partner. He would need to figure out something to bring them closer together, but he had no idea what. The only times the two didn’t argue was when they were on missions, but it didn’t look like it was going to be enough, the moment they were back at the headquarters they were back to being mortal enemies.  
  


***

  
Sasuke pushed open the door to his apartment, bag of groceries under his arm. He'd had to go outside when he realised all he had in his fridge were a can of beer and a jar of raspberry jam. Sasuke was not very fond of making food, to be honest he found the whole concept of even eating at all to be annoying, and it was something he did just because he had to. He wasn’t even sure what the jam was doing in his fridge, he had a serious distaste for anything sweet. Maybe it had been left there by the last tenant or something. Sasuke couldn't care less.   
  
Normally Sasuke would just go out to eat, or order in. maybe stuff a frozen dinner in the microwave, but for some reason he had felt like actually making something from scratch today. Must be because he was mind-numbingly bored. Kakashi had given him three days off work, while Naruto was away, stating Sasuke could need some time away to focus on something other than work for once. Sasuke hadn’t even been allowed to bring anything work-related with him home. Sure, he still had folders on his personal computer dealing with his one personal case, but not being able to contact any of his usual contacts, seeing as they all worked for the same department and knew Sasuke wasn’t supposed to do anything other than relax he was stuck with nothing. He already knew all the information he had by heart, so reading through the files wouldn’t give him anything new to go with.  
  
So he had decided to do as Kakashi had told him and do something completely work related, in this case make dinner. _Kakashi would be so proud_ , Sasuke huffed as he started unpacking the groceries. Seeing how he really couldn't cook all that well he had settled for something easy, salad with grilled chicken. He might not be a good cook, but he was more than capable with a blade, so chopping up vegetables should be right up his alley.   
  
Pulling out the knife and chopping board he started on the cucumber, slicing through the dark outside for the soft inside. The image of his katana slicing through the soft flesh of a vampire suddenly appeared on his mind, and he shuddered, knife stilling for a moment.   
  
He was not proud of how he had lost control, it was not the way of an Uchiha, he should have more control over himself, should be able to keep his cool head in any situation. He'd had every intention of just walking home, leaving the body and decapitated head for the clean-up crew, but the ground had been drenched with Naruto's blood, and the sirens of an ambulance tearing away down the street had pierced through his skull, and before he knew it he had snapped completely, katana flying through the air to slice the vampire into smaller bits. He didn’t think at all, his body working solely on instinct as he brought the blade down, and down, and down again, saturating the ground with the darker blood of the vampire. Pieces of bones and tissue flew, landing on his clothes and his blade and the lawn, but he couldn’t care less.   
  
All he did care about in that moment was to hurt the one that had hurt his partner. Being dead just wasn’t quite good enough. The vampire had managed to hurt Naruto, Sasuke unable to protect the blond idiot. It was all Sasuke's fault. Now Naruto was probably bleeding out, dying in a cold, inhospitable ambulance, and Sasuke hadn’t been able to do anything, just like he hadn’t been able to protect his brother, and just like he hadn’t been able to protect his parents. Their blood was on his hands, just as Naruto's now.   
  
Sasuke wanted to scream, but he couldn’t manage to get enough air into his lungs to force any sounds out, so he just brought his katana down again, blinded by rage.   
  
When the sound of sirens died out Sasuke found himself completely exhausted, and he fell to the ground, pulling his knees to his chest, staring emotionlessly out at the dark night as he heard the approaching voices of Kiba and Kankuro.  
  
Wisely enough the two of them kept their distance as Sasuke calmly dried off his blade on one of the few clean spots he had on his shirt and rose from the ground. He walked past them, heading back towards his Lexus, still numb.  
  
How he managed to drive home he couldn’t quite recall, but he somehow had, and soon he had found himself in the shower, sitting on the cold tiles, not enough energy to reach up to turn on the water. He did manage to dial Kakashi though, needing to hear if Naruto had died yet.  
  
Their leader had been informed of the situation by Kiba, and had immediately driven to the hospital to check up on Naruto. The blond was still in surgery at the time, but the doctors said he had made it back just in time, and that as long as he didn’t catch any infections he was going to pull through. He had remarkable healing capacity according to the doctors, his wound having already started to close up on the edges when he arrived.  
  
Sasuke had uttered a stoic _hn_ before cutting off Kakashi and putting away the phone. Reaching up he turned on the cold water, letting it splash down his body, pink rivulets spreading on the white tiles before running towards the drain.  
  
Sasuke had stayed in that shower for the next hour, going through a full bottle of soap before he was satisfied, his skin rubbed raw as he scrubbed off the blood and tissue that clung to him. He had peeled off his clothes and left them on the floor of the shower. He was going to burn them later on, they were beyond ruined, but right now he hadn’t had the energy to do anything other than fall down on top of his bed, falling asleep within a minute.   
  
His sleep had been tormented by dreams he didn’t want, old nightmares back with full force.   
  
Shaking his head Sasuke peered down at the cucumber again, luckily only seeing the green vegetable this time. Naruto was going to be fine, he hadn’t been killed, Sasuke really should stop focusing on this. He didn’t really know why he was obsessing this much. He'd only known the guy for a few weeks, and he still despised the other, like he had done from day one. His feelings weren’t so much from Naruto being hurt, as it was for himself not being able to protect him. Sasuke was supposed to be better than this, should be able to kill the vampire without losing anyone. But not only had Naruto nearly been killed, they hadn’t been there in time to save the family in the white house either. Mother and father, three year old son, thirteen year old daughter, all slaughtered. If only they had been there a few minutes earlier that family might still be alive, might be sitting in their quaint little kitchen eating dinner and being happy, instead they were all in the morgue by now, stakes through their heart to ensure they didn’t wake from the dead.   
  
Putting down his knife Sasuke sighed. He had lost his appetite.


	7. Chapter 7

Naruto walked back into the office of Unit Seven, immediately being greeted by his co-workers. It was his first day back since he had been attacked, and it felt great to be out of the hospital. Iruka had tried to talk him into staying at home for a few days before going to work again, but Naruto just wanted to get back out there, and forget the attack altogether. Iruka had to go back home yesterday, so Naruto would have been bored out of his mind if he had to be alone in the apartment. Too much energy for just laying around, and he wasn’t allowed to do any of his usual outlets, like working out. Getting almost killed was such a bother.  
  
His neck was sore, his stitches scheduled to be removed tomorrow, but he had painkillers that took the worst edge of the pain, and he didn’t intend to go into the field just yet so he would be just fine. He was stuck with paper work until the wounds healed more, but that was alright, paper work was better than no work.  
  
He could see Sasuke sitting at his desk, eyes glued to the computer screen. The raven was probably furious, having been confined to stay behind the desk until Naruto was fit for duty. Apparently he hadn’t even been allowed to come into work for the last days, Kakashi insisting that he needed a few days off.   
  
Naruto hadn’t talked to Sasuke since the attack, but he had heard about what happened from Kiba, and he knew Sasuke had saved his life back there. Naruto was grateful, and normally he would have been all over his saviour expressing his gratitude, but he didn’t really think Sasuke would appreciate that. Seeing how he hadn’t even visited Naruto in the hospital it was obvious he still didn’t like Naruto. Saving his life had probably more to do with it being a part of his job than anything else. But then again, there was the fact that he had sliced that vampire into bite sized cubes, which was going way out of the job description. Naruto wasn’t sure where he had Sasuke right now, if they were warming up to one another, or if they still hated each other.   
  
Naruto didn’t know what it was about the two of them together, but they clashed horribly. He just couldn’t keep calm around the other, and Sasuke likewise seemed to find every single thing about Naruto to be horribly infuriating. They did work as a team though, so as long as they had something to hunt they were good. Too bad the job entailed more than just hunting.   
  
Sasuke never looked up from his computer screen, so Naruto just ignored him and walked past him heading towards Kakashi's office to greet their leader. Unlike Sasuke Kakashi had visited him in the hospital, as had the other members of the unit. Even Gaara, the quiet man that Naruto had barely seen at all since starting here had showed up together with Kankuro and Temari, who Naruto learned were his brother and sister. Gaara had been away on some big mission in another city, along with Temari's partner, Shikamaru, and another team consisting of Sakura and Lee. Every single one of them had visited at some point, and it made Naruto beam with joy. Apparently they saw him as important enough to visit even if they hadn’t met him yet. If he had known this was the one place where people didn’t treat him like shit he would have joined the department earlier. On the police force he had been tolerated, but here he was actually making friends, it was a great improvement.   
  
Sasuke was the only one had hadn’t seen, and the raven still didn’t seem to want to acknowledge him, so Naruto was just going to ignore him right back. He could be just as stubborn. In fact, being stubborn was probably one of the things he was best at, so hah! He was totally going to show Sasuke that it took more than getting munched on to stop Naruto Uzumaki!  
  
Kakashi was, for once, not reading a dirty novel when Naruto stepped into the room, he was on the phone. He waved at Naruto, motioning for him to sit down in one of the chairs in front of Kakashi's desk, so Naruto did, waiting for Kakashi to get off the phone. He couldn't help it and caught a few snippets of what Kakashi was talking about. Something about an early morning arrival, and an unknown number of days. Sounded like their leader were going on holiday or something.  
  
Finally Kakashi got off the phone, smiling behind his mask as he turned towards Naruto. "I'm so glad to see you up and about," he said. Naruto just grinned back. He was just as happy to be out of that bed, he had grown insanely antsy by the end of his stay, longing to get out of the smell of medicine and bleach that seemed to fill the hospital.   
  
"As you know you won't be able to go into the field just yet, doctor's orders."  
  
Naruto nodded, knowing that if the doctor hadn’t ordered it, Iruka would have, so there was not much to do about it. He just needed to heal as soon as he could manage, and then he would be back out there, saving the world, one nasty vampire at a time.  
  
"I do, however, have a mission that would involve getting out of the office, but no immediate danger."  
  
Naruto perked up. Anything would be better than being coped up here.  
  
"I'm sending you and Sasuke off for an intel hunt. There's a guy you'll need to talk to. Getting to him won't pose any dangers, he's a pacifist by nature, but actually finding him will be, so it will mean going away for a week at least. We know which city he lives in, and which haunts he usually frequents, but you will have to scour the place to find him, and then find some way to actually get him to talk. No violence whatsoever."  
  
Naruto nodded. He could do no violence, no problem. He wasn’t so sure about Sasuke, the raven didn’t strike him as the diplomatic type, but that wasn’t Naruto's problem. Or well, it would be Naruto's problem if he would end up having to do all the work because Sasuke would rather swing a blade than talk. Fuckety-fuck.  
  
"I've composed a file with all available information on your target and sent it to your computer. Download and read it all. You will be leaving tomorrow evening."  
  
"Where are we going?"  
  


***

  
Everyone heard the yell of anger from Kakashi's office ten minutes later as their leader broke the news to Sasuke. Naruto was well into reading through the files on their target, and barely looked up from his computers to see Sasuke stalk out of the office, fury apparent on his face. Didn’t look like Sasuke much wanted to go to Las Vegas. Or maybe it was the fact that he would have to go there with Naruto that was the problem. Or the fact that they were prohibited in bringing any kind of weapons along with them.   
  
Naruto wasn’t too pleased about the sleeping arrangements either, but he was silently happy they wouldn’t be bringing any weapons. Mostly because if Sasuke had a blade or gun nearby Naruto was pretty sure the raven would kill him before the week was over.  
  
Whyever Kakashi thought it was a good idea to have them share a hotel room was a mystery to Naruto. They could barely share an office together, and that was with eight other team mates around to defuse any situations. Without them to interfere Naruto wasn’t sure both of them would be coming home, at least not with all their body parts still intact.   
  
Sure, Sasuke hadn’t as much as said a single word to him since the attack, but that certainly didn’t mean that he didn’t still hate him. The fist fight from the other day was sign of how bad the two of them would fare together, and even if they worked surprisingly well together in the field, apart from the whole almost-dying incident, this wouldn’t be anything like that. No adrenaline pumping as they chased down vampires, just walking and talking and digging for information. Not to mention that usually they would be able to go back home, alone, but now they would have to go back to a shared hotel room.   
  
Naruto knew Sasuke wasn’t the sole problem. He had dealt with assholes before, usually finding it best to just stay away and ignore them, but there was something about Sasuke. Something that made him want to prove himself, to show the raven that he was just as good as him, but in doing so Naruto maybe got on his nerves a little bit. Iruka had said as much when Naruto complained about his partner in the hospital, that maybe could come off a little too strong at times and maybe not everyone appreciated that.  
  
It was obvious Sasuke had some issues. No one got that moody and ice-cold from a happy life. So maybe Naruto should try a little bit harder to get along with his partner, for both of their sake. If Sasuke couldn’t stop being an asshole, well, then Naruto would just have to do the job for him, slowly making the raven come over to his side. They might be nemesis, but that didn’t meant they couldn’t be friends, did it? He'd just talk to Sasuke, and then they could calmly discus their mission, like grownups.   
  


***

  
Sasuke threw the door to Kakashi's office shut after him and stalked down the stairs towards his desk. He could tell that the other agents were staring at him, but he really didn’t care. Not only had he been forced to take time off, now he was sent on this stupid mission. He was a vampire hunter, not a fucking intel gatherer. It was a good reason he had chosen this unit instead of the others, he was better with a blade than he was with the talking.   
  
Not only that, but he would have to do it all while in the company of Naruto. Days spent together with him, listening to him yap. Sure, he was happy the blond wasn’t dead, but that didn’t mean he wanted to be partnered with him. If only Naruto had taken the opportunity to be scared enough to get a new job, that would have been fine with Sasuke. But no, here the blond was back already, and because he wasn’t ready for proper field duty just yet they were going on this excuse of a mission.   
  
And of course it was in fucking Las Vegas. The thought of that alone made Sasuke angry. All gambling and alcohol and idiots all around. Fuck it all. He would just have to power through, get their intel sooner rather than later and get back home to start doing his real job again.   
  
By now he was back at his desk, glaring angrily at the computer screen. He was vaguely aware of someone talking to him, and looked up, seeing blue eyes locking with his. He had no idea what Naruto had been saying, and Naruto seemed very aware of the fact. He looked rather pissed off actually. Nothing new then.  
  
"Nice to see you too," the blond said, "oh, I'm feeling good, thanks for asking. Why yes, it's good to be out of the hospital, so nice of you to worry."  
  
It took Sasuke a moment to realise the sarcasm dripping from Naruto's mouth.   
  
"Fuck you," Sasuke answered, turning back to his computer.   
  
"No thank you, I'd rather lick the bathroom floor."  
  
Sasuke looked back up at the blond, scowling. As if he'd ever want to get his dick anywhere near the blond.   
  
"You know, all the others came to visit me in the hospital," Naruto continued, his fingers lifting to scratch lightly at the heavy bandages covering the side of his neck.  
  
"What, wasn’t it enough that I saved your ass, you wanted me to give you sponge baths as well?" Sasuke shot back.   
  
"Well, maybe it would have been nice to see that you cared about your partner, not just doing a job."  
  
Sasuke shrugged. "Maybe I was just doing my job."  
  
Naruto was practically vibrating with annoyance at this point, and Sasuke had to dodge a pencil that suddenly flew towards his head.  
  
"They told me what you did, asshole. No way were you just doing your job. No vampire needs that much chopping up to stay dead."  
  
"Maybe I was just pissed off at you ruining the mission by being attacked."  
  
"It's not my fault!"  
  
"Sure it was. Did you see me getting attacked maybe?"  
  
Sasuke could see blue eyes sparking in barely contained anger and went for the kill.  
  
"You are just not good enough, Uzumaki."  
  
Sasuke wasn’t sure why he was goading Naruto, why he so desperately wanted the other to be angry with him, but he was doing a fine job at it, that was for sure. Naruto was out of his chair the moment the words had left Sasuke's mouth, fist flying through the air. Sasuke dodged a little too late, the fist connecting with his temple. He hissed as pain blossomed, but couldn’t help the grin spreading on his lips.  
  
"Please do fight me again, Naruto, show everyone how little control you actually have."  
  
He could see Naruto shaking with anger, and knew it would take very little to push him completely over the edge. Sasuke was about to give him that last shove when he was interrupted by Kiba. Apparently the other agent had had enough with the brewing fight, and stepped in before it burst out completely. He laid an arm around Naruto's shoulders, getting his attention while slowly turning him around from Sasuke. Sasuke couldn’t make out what the mutt was saying to Naruto, but it had the desired effect, and soon enough the two of them walked over towards the kitchen nook.  
  
Sasuke turned back to his computer, typing away a request to one of his contacts. He wasn’t sure if both Naruto and him would be coming home from this Las Vegas trip, chances were one of them would strangle the other before the first day was over.   
  


***

  
Naruto reloaded his Glock with regular bullets, lifted it, adjusting his grip a little and sent the first bullet flying. It tore through his paper target with perfect accuracy, leaving a neat little hole where the heart would have been. The next one pierced the forehead, before the next two took out the kneecaps. One through each shoulder, and then he emptied his clip into the crotch, blowing out a large, ragged hole.   
  
Grinning satisfied he laid down his gun and took off his ear muffs as the paper target flew along its track back to him, allowing him to clip it down to see his handy work.   
  
The black human sized outline was like it always was, but Naruto had used a black marker to add spiky hair, and the word _Sasuke_ above the figure, crudely drawn arrow pointing towards the now mutilated silhouette.   
  
Fastening a new paper target in the clip he looked at it as he moved back down the gun range. This too was customized with the Uchiha's signature hair do, and his name above it. Bullets clicked as Naruto pushed them into the clips. He was finding this activity to be very helpful, imagining Sasuke's smirking face on each of those paper targets made honing his skill with the gun a whole lot more fun.   
  
So, he would have to try not to attack Sasuke while they were on their mission, their last confrontation a few hours earlier had made him pop a couple of stitches. Apparently throwing punches when you were all chewed up was a bad idea. Kiba had bandaged it all up again though, so it wasn’t a big deal.  
  
He needed to get some aggression out of his system before leaving though, or he would never pull through. He knew working together would be a problem, but it was the whole staying in the same room that would be the trigger of the potential blood bath. What Kakashi was thinking he had no idea, but the grey-haired man had refused to change their room to two separates, even if Sasuke apparently offered to pay. Kakashi meant it was crucial to the case that the two of them be together at all times.   
  
Emptying his clip into the paper target Naruto braced himself for the week from hell.


	8. Chapter 8

Sasuke stifled a yawn as he stood in the lobby of their hotel, glaring at the other guests. It had been a long flight, and he hadn’t been able to catch as much as a moment of shut eye, due to the snoring blond in the seat next to him. It had taken Naruto all but three minutes from the moments he sat down in his seat until he fell asleep, and no amount of subtle _hn_ -ingor bumping would wake him. Sasuke had spent the entire flight alternately glaring at Naruto, or glaring at the flight attendants. One of them had even had the nerve to coo as she saw Naruto fast asleep, drooling on Sasuke's shoulder. The glare Sasuke shot her was venomous enough that he didn’t see her for the rest of the flight.  
  
No matter how many times Sasuke pushed Naruto towards the window on the other side of him the blond soon moved back, lying his head on his shoulder, as if he was attached to it. Sasuke still had a damp spot on his suit from the drool. He'd probably have to burn it.   
  
Sure, he could have gone a more direct route and punched the blond, or maybe dumped a glass of cold water in his lap, that would have most certainly woken him soon enough, but he had settled with pushing him away whenever he tried to snuggle up to him. Sasuke must be going soft or something.  
  
Currently his blond partner was looking more than a little refreshed from his long nap, bouncing about around him, head snapping to and from as he looked at everything. It had been this way in the taxi ride from the airport as well, Naruto seemingly captivated with the lights of Las Vegas. Apparently Naruto had never been before, and he was just a little too excited.   
  
Sasuke had been to Las Vegas once, and he had hated every moment of it. He didn’t like gambling, he didn’t like heat, and he didn’t like people, so it was like his own personal hell.   
  
Not to mention the little piece of information Kakashi had given them as they landed. Apparently their unit leader had been able to foresee Sasuke's reaction enough to want him in another state before he learned. Smart move on Kakashi's behalf.  
  
It would be crucial to their investigation that they be undercover. Their target would not talk to agents under any circumstance. Which meant they needed a cover story. Due to how different they looked, with Sasuke's pale skin, dark hair and vague Asian features coming from his Japanese father, and Naruto's tan skin, blond hair and all-American looks, posing as brothers were out of the question. So, instead of going the next route, which in Sasuke's mind would be either co-workers or friends, Kakashi had naturally made sure that they were to pose as… husbands.   
  
Apparently they were newlyweds, Mr and Mr Namikaze. Sasuke was going to kill Kakashi when he got back home. In fact, he had every intention of spending what time he could spare figuring out the most excruciating way to kill Kakashi. Rusty spoon was currently in the top spot on his list of ideas.  
  
Naruto had bounced over towards the reception, sending a bright smile at the receptionist who immediately sent one back. Sasuke stepped up behind him, and her smile immediately failed a little at the edges as she saw Sasuke's glower.   
  
Soon Sasuke found himself in an elevator together with Naruto and an elderly couple. He crossed his arms in front of his chest, locked his eyes on the changing numbers that marked their ascent thought the hotel floors, waiting for 37 to come up. He felt Naruto bump into his arm, but ignored the blond.  
  
"You know, honey, it wouldn’t kill you to be a bit friendlier with people. It's her job to be nice, and it's certainly not her fault you are here," Naruto said, silently.  
  
Sasuke snapped towards him. "Don't call me that," he hissed.  
  
"What would you prefer, pumpkin?"  
  
Sasuke's fists tightened, but he managed to keep himself in check. He couldn’t blow their cover already.   
  
"Honey is fine, _sweetie_ ," he gritted out, and liked the scrunched up nose marking Naruto's displeasure with the nickname. Two could play at this game.   
  
It was a wonder they made it all the way inside their room without breaking into a new fight, but Sasuke used the opportunity the very moment the door closed behind them to shove Naruto's shoulder. "You don't have to make this worse, loser."  
  
"Hey, it's not my problem I'm good at my job. Kakashi said go undercover, so I'm going."  
  
Choosing to ignore the blond Sasuke turned around, and instantly froze.   
  
Not because of the rose petals, or the chilled bottle of champagne, or the heart shaped box of chocolates. Nope, it was the fact that all the previous three were sat on a bed. _One_ bed. As in a king-sized mattress with silky sheets. Desperately looking around the room it quickly became obvious that this was the sole bed in the room, and that they were meant to…Sasuke shuddered… _share_ it.  
  
Naruto pushed past him, seemingly oblivious to the panic surging in Sasuke as he sauntered over to the bed, and jumped up on it, crushing rose petals with his ass as he grabbed the chocolates and started stuffing his face with them.   
  
"I'm sleeping here, so you can either deal with it, or sleep on the floor," he said in-between bites, grinning at Sasuke with chocolate stained lips. Okay, maybe not completely oblivious then.   
  
Sasuke dropped his bag on the floor, stalked towards the bed and after a moment's hesitation gingerly sat down on the other side of the bed. No way was he going to sleep on the floor. He was an Uchiha, Uchihas didn’t sleep on the floor, nor did they allow themselves to be bullied by blond idiots. He would not have Naruto think he was too much of a pussy to share a bed with the other man. He could do this just fine, it was just sleeping after all.  
  
Pulling his phone out of his pocket he quickly typed off a short message.  
  
 _Kakashi._  
When we get home I will strange you with your own intestines.  
Sasuke.   
  


***

Kakashi grinned as he read the message from Sasuke. Seemed like they had arrived at the hotel and seen the surprise Kakashi had left for them. Now, the bed was a must, they were posing as newlyweds after all, the rose petals and champagne, however, that was just plain hilarious.  
  
Okay, so maybe having them pose as newlyweds really hadn’t been necessary either, but Kakashi hadn’t been able to stop himself. Sasuke needed to get that stick out of his ass and learn to see the fun in life, and this way he would be forced to be close to Naruto, not able to retreat to a single room to mope around. Kakashi knew that Naruto would be good for Sasuke, that the blond could be the one person to make him relax a little. Fine, so far all they did was fight, but there was a connection there, Kakashi had seen it. First when it became apparent that the two of them worked great as a team, and then lastly after Naruto's attack. From what he had been told of Sasuke's reaction, and the pictures of the scene that he had seen later, it was obvious the attack had affected Sasuke. The raven might not be aware of it just yet, but Naruto was worming his way into his heart. Kakashi knew the Sasuke wouldn’t be able to not become friends with the other at some point. Naruto was just too stubborn.  
  
He just hoped Sasuke wouldn’t kill the blond before the week was over. Naruto seemed to press all his buttons, and Kakashi would be a little surprised if they wouldn’t end up in fistfights on a daily basis.   
  
So maybe they'd always have a… complicated friendship, but that didn’t meant it wouldn’t be a great friendship. If they survived.   
  
Shaking his head Kakashi pulled out his book again, delving back into his porn.   
  


***

Naruto tossed the now empty box of chocolates on the floor and folded his hands behind his neck, humming happily. He loved chocolate, almost as much as ramen. And the fact that Sasuke had declined the treat, stating that he didn’t like sweets, just meant that Naruto had been able to eat every single piece of sweet all by himself.   
  
Sasuke was currently sitting next to him, manila folder in his lap, documents spilling from them as he went over the case.   
  
"I think we should head over to one of the closest casinos tonight," he said, eyes not moving away from the document he was reading.   
  
Naruto shrugged. "Sure, might as well start there, work our way out."  
  
Their target was a big time gambler, and a big time partier, and usually spent most nights in one of several casinos, or night clubs. They would have to start combing through them, acting as a couple on their honeymoon, until they found him. Then it would be a matter of getting closer and striking up a conversation. Kakashi had assured them that getting him to talk wouldn't be a problem, finding him would. Las Vegas was a city made for seedy activities after all, and there were casinos and nightclubs aplenty. Not to mention the fact that their target wasn’t a regular VIP, he was something much more elusive.   
  
A member of the fey he was part of a very special elite. Highly regarded among those who knew of his species he would not be easy to find. They didn’t have any looks to go after, didn’t have a name, so it would be a matter of finding someone who knew of him, and then getting his attention somehow. The plan wasn’t all the thought out, and would mostly entail them improvising. They would have to go to all his local haunts, talk to people and hope someone would know where he was.   
  
If he got word of them being agents he would never approach them, hence their need to go undercover. As newlyweds they would pose as desperate to meet him to get a taste of his magic.  
  
His kind was notorious for their decadent magic. They were beings focused solely on pleasure, and thusly their magic was known to be a potent kind. A single kiss and he could make you come, a single incantation and he would make you hard for a full night, making for one hell of a marathon sex session. The incubi was certainly an interesting species.  
  
Their cover were newlyweds looking for a good time, wanting his enchantment to make sure their honeymoon would be more than a little memorable. And they would have the money to pay as well. A decadent lifestyle needed lots of money to be maintained, so they hoped he'd be willing to part with his magic, and with it the information Sasuke and Naruto really looked for, if the price was right. Everyone could be bought right?   
  
Naruto decided, that after the long flight, and the heat of Las Vegas, he desperately needed a shower before going outside again, so while Sasuke was still leafing through the papers he slid off the bed and headed towards the bathroom.  
  
It was all white tile and golden taps, and looked way better than the one at home. His apartment was pretty rundown compared to the hotel room, so that was a nice little treat. Quickly pulling off his pants and shirt he started the water in the shower before toeing off his boxers as well. The water was nice and warm before the boxers had time to hit the ground, so he was quick to shed his socks and jump into the shower stall. The stall was all clear glass, so he was glad he had remembered to lock the door before going in here, if Sasuke was to go into the bathroom he would have gotten a good long glance of a very naked Naruto.  
  
Shoving all thoughts of his partner to the back of his mind he set to work on lathering up his hair with the tiny bottle of shampoo that had been standing in the shower, loving the lemony scent of it.   
  
Next up it was his body, and he took his time lathering it up, washing away the grime and sweat that had accumulated over the day. After giving his crotch a thorough rinse he deemed himself nice and ready for a night out on the town, almost forgetting that they would be working.   
  
Quickly he stepped out of the shower and dried off with one of the fluffy white towels hanging on the wall, before he suddenly realised what he had forgotten earlier.   
  
"Shit," he hissed. He had completely forgotten to bring a fresh change of clothes into the bathroom with him, which meant he would either have to put on his old clothes again, or go into the other room wearing nothing but a towel. He really didn’t thing Sasuke would appreciate that at all.   
  


***

Sasuke glanced up from his papers as the door to the bathroom creaked open, dark eyes widening a fraction as he saw Naruto emerging. He was wearing decidedly less clothes than he had upon entering, nothing at all actually, apart from a white towel wrapped around his hips.   
  
Usually Naruto was all about pants a size too big, shirts the same, hanging loose on his frame, so this was the first time Sasuke had actually seen his body at all, and it was definitely a lot better looking than he would have thought. All toned muscles and not as much as a tan line in sight. He even had a tattoo on his stomach, circling his belly button.  
  
Realising just what he was staring at Sasuke pulled his gaze away quickly, looking back down on the papers in his hands. Luckily it didn’t seem like Naruto had noticed him looking at him, or he would have never lived the tormenting down.   
  
When his eyes strayed back towards Naruto's naked back Sasuke realised he needed to do something before his treacherous eyes did something he would regret, and he sat up from bed, gathered a fresh change of clothes from his bag and headed into the bathroom.  
  


***

Naruto stuffed his hands in his pockets as they stepped into the casino they had decided would be their first place to try and find their target. He was wearing sandy coloured chinos, and a blue shirt, after Sasuke had chewed him out when he tried to put on an orange hoodie. Apparently it wasn’t good enough for entering a casino in. How was Naruto supposed to know that? It wasn’t like he had ever been in a casino before.  
  
Looking around the room he realised that Sasuke had been right though, everyone in the room was dressed up. Well, apart from a couple of little old ladies on the slot machines though, they were wearing track suits.   
  
Sasuke himself was wearing black pants with a dark blue shirt, making his pale skin stand out even more than usual. Not that Naruto was paying attention to his looks or anything.   
  
Together they walked over to the black jack table, sitting down and setting to work.   
  
Four hours went past, and apart from Sasuke winning more than he lost and Naruto losing more than he won they were getting nowhere. Sasuke had been dropping subtle hints to the dealers and the cocktail waitresses, but no one was showing that they had a clue as to what they were talking about, so either none of them knew their target, or their target wasn’t responding yet.   
  
Currently Naruto was sitting at the bar, nursing a beer, while Sasuke had left for the bathrooms.   
  
Next to him sat a blond girl, boobs pressed into a too-tight red dress. She tossed her hair over her shoulder, and leaned closer to Naruto, whispering in what was obviously supposed to be a seductive voice.   
  
"So, you here all alone?"  
  
Naruto just shook his head.  
  
"Aw, girlfriend leave you all alone?"  
  
"Nah, I'm here with my… husband, it's our honeymoon," Naruto said, finding the word husband to sound weird coming from his mouth.  
  
The blond looked at him incredulously. "Husband, really? Who, the Asian guy you were just talking to?"  
  
Naruto nodded and took a sip of his beer.   
  
"No way are you guys newlyweds!" the girl laughed.   
  
Naruto frowned as he looked at her again.  
  
"Honey, I see all kinds of people coming in here, and the newlyweds are always easy to spot. They are all over each other. All you and that guy did was sit next to each other, not even holding hands. Are you even really gay?"  
  
She leaned closer to him then, lips pouting, boobs pressed forward in invitation.   
  
Now, Naruto never minded a good set of boobs on a girl, but this girl was taking away all the mystery, and Naruto was pretty sure she was a prostitute, and he really wasn’t interested in that.  
  
She had made him realise that they weren’t doing a very good job with their undercover work though. Looking around it was glaringly obvious which couples were happy, girls perched on men's laps, kissing and touching and looking all kinds of happy. Naruto wasn’t sure he had seen Sasuke smile once the entire night, they certainly hadn’t been touching in any way, and Naruto hadn’t offered a single smile in his direction either, saving them for the cocktail waitresses or dealers.   
  
"Uhm, we had a fight earlier, he's not too happy with me right now," Naruto mumbled in way of an explanation.  
  
"Then you just have to kiss and make up," the girl said, lips stretching into a wide smile.   
  
Sasuke chose that exact moment to walk back into the bar area. The girl pushed at Naruto's shoulder, indicating that he should join his supposed husband, and show him just how sorry he was over the fight.   
  
Naruto realised the trouble he was in. he had no way of knowing if this girl was in any way associated with their target, so he had to keep up the charade. Taking a last, deep drag of his beer he slid off the barstool and walked over towards Sasuke.   
  
"Just play along," he whispered, leaning close so no one would overhear them. Sasuke looked suspicious, but Naruto didn’t see that for long, because the next moment he leaned in and claimed Sasuke's lips. He could feel Sasuke stiffening against him, lips pressed tight together, whether in shock or disgust Naruto didn’t know.  
  
Figuring it would have to do Naruto pulled away, grabbed Sasuke's hand, pulling him away. They'd been in this place too long, their target was obviously not here, and with this exit it would hopefully look like they were getting ready for a bout of makeup sex.   
  
Sasuke managed to keep silent and just follow Naruto all the way out the casino doors, across the street and into the elevator in their hotel before he snapped.  
  
"What the fuck was that?" he hissed, shoving at Naruto's chest.  
  
Naruto shrugged with one shoulder. "Our cover was about to be blown, so I fixed it."  
  
Sasuke sputtered, fury rising in dark eyes. So much hassle over a small kiss. There hadn’t even been any tongue, just a quick press of lips, Naruto didn’t understand the big deal. He didn’t want to end up in a fight with Sasuke though, he was getting tired of those, and his neck hurt from where the shirt collar had rubbed up against the still sore skin all night, and he just wanted to go to sleep. Figuring he should just diffuse Sasuke's anger as soon as possible he quickly explained about the girl/prostitute, and how it was apparently blaringly obvious that they weren’t husbands. Sasuke still didn’t look particularly happy, but the fury drained away to annoyance as they walked back towards the hotel room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, first kisses. Oh so romantic!;)


	9. Chapter 9

Sweat poured down Sasuke's back, and his legs were aching, but still his mind would not shut off. Ever since he had come back to the hotel room his mind had been working overtime, and not even heading down to the gym in the basement of the hotel and running on the treadmill seemed to have the desired effect of stilling it. Usually running was quite therapeutically for him, he would spend hours in the forests outside of the city, running and not thinking about anything, but apparently the treadmill just wasn’t enough at the moment.

He knew it was stupid, but he just couldn’t get his mind off of Naruto. The kiss, and seeing him half-naked, was doing weird things to his head. It had to be because it was way too long since Sasuke had been intimate with anyone, there was no other reason for that stupid little kiss to be making him fuss this much. Thinking back he realised he hadn’t kissed anyone in over two years, not since he broke it off with his last boyfriend.

Sasuke groaned. That relationship had been doomed from the beginning, much because Sasuke really didn’t care for the guy at all, he just thought it would be convenient to have someone around to fuck whenever he wanted to, however cold-hearted that sounded. Not that it mattered, the sex had become dull to him pretty soon, and he had too much other stuff to care about to bother comforting a whiny boyfriend, so the relationship had broken apart quickly.

Yeah, sexual frustration it was definitely the reason he couldn’t get the picture of toned abs and the feeling of soft lips against his own out of his mind. His body was just sexually starved.

Shaking his head, hoping to clear it now that he had come to a conclusion to what his problem was, he locked his eyes on the window in front of him, seeing the glaring lights of the city and not liking it one bit. They'd had no luck in the first casino, and Sasuke was sure they wouldn’t have any in the next. Maybe they should do a nightclub tomorrow to change it up. Their target had at least a dozen known haunts, and probably a dozen more they didn’t know of, so it would take a good long while to find him, no matter how good they were at getting the word out there. For all they knew he might not even be in the city at all anymore. Sasuke didn’t for a second believe that they would only be here for a week.

Again the memory of Naruto pressed up against him flashed to his mind. The blond had said their cover was about to be blown, because they hadn’t acted much like a newlywed couple and it was getting obvious. Sasuke hated to admit it, but the blond was correct. They hadn’t acted as newlyweds, because they weren’t newlyweds. They weren’t even a couple. Sasuke didn’t think he knew how to look like he was in love, seeing how he never had been before, but he knew enough about the world to know that new couples usually were a lot more hands-on and loving towards each other.

Which meant he would probably need to be more hands-on and loving towards Naruto if their plan was going to work. Fuck, he really was screwed was he? No way was he going to be able to fake being in love with the blond idiot. And he wasn’t sure Naruto would be good at it either. Sasuke had the advantage that he was gay, but he hardly thought Naruto would be, so it would be even more awkward for him. Somehow that thought pleased Sasuke to no end. Getting all touchy-feely with Sasuke would probably freak him out. He was probably gurgling mouthwash to get rid of his cooties as it was.

Heh, maybe this could be fun after all, Sasuke thought, smile tugging at his lips.

***

By the time Sasuke came back to the hotel room Naruto was already fast asleep. Curled up on his side he didn’t snore, which was a relief. Sasuke quickly showered off the sheen of sweat he had accumulated in the gym, pulled on a fresh pair of boxers and then looked uncertain down at the bed. He never slept in a pyjama. In fact, he didn’t even own one, but then again, he usually slept alone, so why would he?

Naruto wasn’t wearing anything on his upper body, but the leg that peeked out from under the sheets was dressed in a pale blue pyjama pant. Sasuke should have planned this better, but it was too late now.

Deciding there really weren’t much to do about it, as Sasuke was not about to sleep in either his chinos or his sweaty workout clothes, he carefully pulled the sheets open on his side of the bed and slipped in-between them. Naruto stirred next to him as the mattress moved under the added weight, but didn’t wake.

Turning over on his side so his back was towards Naruto Sasuke closed his eyes, trying to still his mind long enough so he could fall asleep.

***

Naruto woke with a shiver. Why the hell was the hotel room suddenly this cold? Forcing his eyelids open he realised that the sheets he had been wrapped up in when he had gone to bed was long gone. And with the cool air from the air conditioner it was way too cold to be sleeping in just his pyjama pants.

Frowning he reached out, wondering if the sheets had fallen to the floor, but there were nothing there. With a groan he turned around, his body too tired to want to do something as foolish as move, and saw exactly where his sheets had gone. Sasuke was lying next to him, his own and Naruto's sheets wrapped around him like some cocoon. Only the spikes of his hair were visible above the white sheets.

Not about to let Sasuke getting away with being a complete sheet hog Naruto grabbed one corner of his sheet and started tugging carefully, not wanting to wake Sasuke.

He thought he had the sheet free, and was about to wrap it around himself, when Sasuke grabbed a corner, tugging it towards him again. Naruto looked over his shoulder, and saw Sasuke still asleep. His forehead was set in the slightest of frowns, and his lips softly parted. Ignoring him Naruto just kept his sheets in a firm grip.

Sasuke tugged harder, and when he didn’t get the sheets loose he did the next best thing, followed the sheets. Naruto's eyes widened when he felt a warm breath ghosting over his shoulder blades, and again looked over his shoulder to see that Sasuke had wiggled closer to him, burrowing under Naruto's sheets.

Naruto had no idea what he should do. If he woke Sasuke the raven would probably strangle him. If he pulled the sheets away Sasuke would probably just fight for them again, and if he let Sasuke have the sheet Naruto would be too cold to sleep.

After a few minutes of considering he felt something against his ribs. Looking down he saw a pale arm snaked around his midsection.

More confused than ever he did the only thing he could get his mind to agree to: nothing. He was too tired to deal with this now, and instead closed his eyes, falling asleep with Sasuke's soft breaths tickling his nape.

***

The sun was shining directly into his eyes as Sasuke woke. Blinking against the light he burrowed his face into the pillow, wishing he had remembered to close the curtains last night.

He froze mid-action when he realised his pillow was moving underneath him. Pressing one eye open he stared down at it, greeted not by white fabric, but tan skin. The other eye flew wide open as he realised what exactly he was lying on.

Fuck! Sasuke had forgotten that he tended to get a bit snuggly when he shared a bed. It wasn’t one of his better habits. Quickly moving away from Naruto he cursed silently to himself. He had been lying all over Naruto, using the blond as some sort of teddy bear. Oh, he really, really hoped Naruto hadn’t noticed. He had been asleep when Sasuke went to bed last night, and he was asleep right now, so maybe he wouldn’t know.

Deciding that he needed to get up, right this very moment, he rolled out from the sheets he had curled up in during the night, carefully so as to not jostle Naruto awake. He really didn’t want Naruto to see him as a… cuddler. He'd never live that one down.

Once free from the sheets Sasuke was quick to pull on a pair of trousers and a shirt, buttoning it up as he headed for the bathroom.

One look in the mirror had him flinch. He had gone to bed with wet hair, and lying on it all night had done all kinds of weird shit to it. It was an absolute mess, sticking out in directions it had no business sticking out in. Grabbing hair wax from the bag of toiletries he had left standing on the side of the sink yesterday he scooped a generous sized dollop into his hands, working it between his palms before starting the process of getting his hair the way he liked it again.

By the time he was done in the bathroom Naruto was awake, lying propped up in bed, typing on his cell phone. He muttered out a good morning, but didn’t look up from the screen. He looked completely unaffected, so Sasuke was pretty sure he'd slept through the night and didn’t know what Sasuke had been up to in his sleep. Naruto would have definitely rubbed it in his face if he knew.

Sasuke muttered a greeting back before going over to the nightstand, gathering up his wallet.

"I'm going out for coffee."

Naruto finally looked up from the screen, a sly smile suddenly on his lips. Sasuke cringed, suddenly sure he knew what was coming.

"Wanna bring me back a bagel?"

Sasuke arched a dark eyebrow. So, nothing to do with him being a cuddler, which was good, but since when was he the blond's personal slave? He huffed and walked towards the door, before turning around, doorknob in his hand. "Cream cheese?"

***

Naruto stared at the closed door for a full two minutes after Sasuke left the room. He was confused. Had Sasuke just been nice to him? He'd only asked for a joke, sure Sasuke would just glare and leave, but then the guy had actually asked what kind of bagel he wanted, as if he had every intention of actually buying one for him?

Who was the guy he'd slept next to and what had he done with The Bastard?

Pulled out of his musings by his cell phone announcing an incoming message he swiped his thumb across the screen of his phone and opened it.  
Uchiha kill u yet? U better have mentioned me in ur will. I want cash. Kiba

Naruto snorted. Kiba had voiced his worry about Naruto spending so much time with the bastard, sure that he'd either kill him or get killed at some point. His worry wasn’t completely unfounded, looking back on the fist fight Kiba'd had to break up, and the general animosity between the partners.

Still alive. Ur not getting anything. U better cry in my funeral, mutt. N.

He was tempted to tell Kiba about the whole snuggle incident, but decided not to. Kiba would have gotten a kick out of it, but Naruto just didn’t feel like telling him about it, for some reason.

Naruto dropped his phone on the bed next to him and scooted down, tucking his hands underneath his head as he stared up at the ceiling. It was remarkably bland, and his thoughts immediately started drifting. This trip was not turning out as he had expected. It was supposed to be a simple information gathering trip, but was turning into something else. He still couldn’t believe that he'd actually kissed Sasuke yesterday. Sure, it had barely been more than a peck, but that was definitely something he never thought he'd do. He hadn’t really had time to feel much at all, but Sasuke's lips definitely hadn’t been particularly unpleasant. Nor had his arm around his waist later on…

Naruto had slept like a baby all night after he had stopped fighting over sheets. Sasuke had been surprisingly warm for such a cold-hearted asshole, and although Naruto would rather streak down the Strip than admit it, it had been nice to sleep next to someone. It wasn’t really something Naruto had done at all before. By the time he had gotten a steady home with Iruka he really was too old to be sharing a bed not matter how bad his nightmares got, Iruka would just sit by his bedside until he fell asleep again, and he hadn’t really had any proper romantic relationships yet either. Sure, there had been a couple of one-night stands that ended up staying the night, but those were the exception.

Naruto sighed and rubbed a hand over his eyes. He was seriously overthinking*/ this. He'd kissed Sasuke because they were undercover and needed to stay that way, and Sasuke had snuggled against him because he was asleep and hadn’t been aware of it being Naruto. He was seriously overcomplicating things. Wasn’t he?

 

***

Walking back from the coffee shop, two coffees and a couple of bagels in hand Sasuke wondered if he had gotten brain damage or something. All his plans on getting rid of Naruto kept turning to shit. Ignoring him didn’t work, being an ass didn’t work, and instead of going through with the newest plan: freak him out, Sasuke found himself being nice and buying the guy breakfast. Getting rid of partners didn’t use to be this difficult, and Sasuke didn’t know what the problem was. He didn’t seem to be able to actually go through with his plans anymore, finding himself forgetting about them altogether.

Besides, there was a big hole in his newest plan. Fine, so being gay meant he wasn’t afraid of men in a sexual way, but it still didn’t mean he was comfortable around anyone. Sasuke just wasn’t a people person.

He had more incentive though. As Naruto had mentioned, they had to be believable to go through with this job, and was it one thing Sasuke did take seriously it was his job. He would just have to fake it whenever they left the room together, it wouldn’t be that hard would it? He guessed Naruto was an attractive enough man, if one was into that whole bronze skin-golden hair-muscular body kind of thing.

Shutting his eyes, willing the images of a half-naked Naruto away he stepped out of the elevator and headed towards their room.

Naruto wasn’t sitting on the bed anymore, but Sasuke could hear the shower running, so he sat the bagel and spare coffee down on Naruto's nightstand before moving to his side of the bed, going through the documents he'd brought along, deciding where they would be heading tonight. One of the nightclubs was marked as a "highly likely" spot, so he figured that would be as good a place as any.

Looking down on his watch he saw that it was nearing on two in the afternoon. They hadn’t been home until late, seeing how they were used to working night. That would fit them fine when going to a club later on. It was still quite a few hours before it opened though, so they would have time to go to one of the casinos first.

It wasn’t like they had anything else to do in Las Vegas after all.

***

Naruto dug through his suitcase, looking for something to wear. They had already hit another casino today, where he had just worn what he had on the other night. But now they were heading towards a nightclub, so he needed something more party-like.

He wasn’t the type to go to clubs, what with people hating him and whatnot, so he wasn’t sure what people normally wore out. His wardrobe mostly consisted of jeans, baggy t-shirts and hoodies for being at home, and not quite as baggy shirts and regular trousers for work. He was no go on the party wear.

Pulling on a pair of ripped up jeans, and a simple black t-shirt he decided that would just have to do. Messing up his hair he deemed himself ready, and sat down on bed, waiting for Sasuke to exit the bathroom.

Naruto was in the middle of a game of Candy Crush when the bathroom door finally opened. Naruto tossed a glance over at him, and froze, eyes widening.

Sasuke had foregone his usual clothes for something… extraordinary. His normal shirt and tie combo was gone for a midnight blue t-shirt, tight along the abdomen showing off a body that was leanly muscular in a way Naruto hadn’t noted before, and wider around the neck, dipping down on one side to show off Sasuke's collarbone.

His legs were covered by a pair of jeans. Naruto had no idea Sasuke owned anything like that. Where Naruto's jeans were baggy and worn, Sasuke's were tighter, and looked a helluva lot more expensive than anything Naruto owned.

Sasuke turned around to put on his boots, and thusly showed off just how good his jeans looked. Naruto couldn’t tear his eyes away from the way the heavy denim clung to Sasuke's ass, showing off just how nice said body part was. Naruto hadn’t noticed that underneath the raven's usually proper chinos and trousers, but damned…

He was pulled out of his gawking when Sasuke turned again, leather boots tied on his feet. Naruto was quick to scramble out of bed to put on his Chucks, hoping Sasuke hadn’t noticed the way he had been staring. If Sasuke hated him before he certainly would hate him if he learned that not only was Naruto bi, but he had been checking out his ass.

***

Sasuke took the lead as they walked into the club. He felt uncomfortable in his clothes, they were way too tight, showing off more than he wanted, but he knew he had put on the correct ones as he looked over the crowd. He would blend right in. Too bad the same couldn’t be said about Naruto. Wearing oversized clothes as normal he looked way too casual in a place where all the girls wore short dresses made to show off cleavage, ass and legs, and the men wore clothes made to show off muscles. Sasuke knew Naruto had more than enough of that under those clothes, but no one would be able to see that.

Not that he gave Naruto's body much thought though, not at all.

Looking around the club he decided the bar would be the best place to start. Bartenders always seemed to know everyone, so if anyone would be able to direct them to their target or someone who knew about their target it would be one of the guys pouring drinks.

Sasuke tossed a look back towards Naruto, whose blue eyes were wide as he stared around the room. It looked like the guy had never seen a club before. Not that Sasuke was much into the club scene either, but it wasn’t the first time he'd had to go undercover in one, vampires tended to be drawn to the throng of people nightclubs usually consisted of.

Nudging Naruto to get his attention he motioned towards the bar, Naruto following after him. They both ordered a drink, Sasuke a gin and tonic, Naruto rum and coke.

Normally Sasuke would not have condoned drinking while working, but they would look horribly out of place not drinking in this place, so they would just have to be careful. It wasn’t like a single drink would impair him in any way.

Leaning back against the bar he glanced across the room, seeing the mass of people writing against each other on the dance floor. The bass of the music was pounding at his ears, vibrations moving up his legs. He could sort of see the appeal, had it not been for all the people. With the darkness and the strobing lights it could make one forget who they were for a moment, and lose themselves in music. Not that Sasuke ever lost himself.

Leaning towards Naruto he rested a hand on his shoulder as he leaned close, whispering in his ear. He hoped the added hand would help with their cover. It was what he had been doing at the casino earlier, small touches to make sure anyone looking would actually believe that they were a couple. Naruto had been surprisingly unaffected by in, in fact, he had been quick to do the same. Sasuke would have to up the ante if he was going to scare Naruto away properly.

"I'm gonna talk to the bartender, okay. He might be connected, but he will have to believe our cover story first." He leered, glad Naruto couldn't see it. They hadn’t done anything other than small touches earlier, but in a place like this that wouldn’t be very convincing.

Not about to wait for an answer he laid his thumb on Naruto's chin, tilting his face towards him, before dipping in and claiming his lips.

It wasn’t the first time they kissed, that had been yesterday, but this was… different. Maybe because this time Sasuke wasn’t completely frozen in shock, but the one in charge. He gently moved his lips against Naruto's, tasting the sweetness of his rum and coke on them, licking it off his bottom lip.

Pulling away he turned towards the bartender, but not before seeing the look on Naruto's face. He didn’t look disgusted, more… completely shocked. Sasuke nudged him to implore that he shouldn’t ruin their cover.

"Hey," he said to the bartender as the man sauntered over. He had to lean over the counter and raise his voice to be sure to be heard over the loud music.

"You know anyone around here who can help two guys have some extra fun?" he asked, nodding over towards Naruto, pleased to see that his partner had gotten over the shock of being kiss and was grinning widely.

"What, like drugs? No man, wouldn’t know," the bartender said hesitantly, looking around the room shiftily. It was glaringly obvious that the man certainly knew who to contact for drugs. He was lucky Naruto and Sasuke weren’t with the DEA, he would have been in for some shit.

"No, we were thinking something a little more… supernatural. We heard there was a fey in town, who can make all your dreams come through, if you know what I mean?" Sasuke put on a rare smile, although he knew it made him look more like he was a wolf stalking his prey than a normal human being.

The bartender frowned slightly as his gaze flickered between Sasuke and Naruto.

"I wouldn’t know about that," he said, and started pouring a glass of beer, like he was very much over with the conversation.

"Come on, at least tell me who would know," Sasuke added, "I really want to show my man how fucking under a spell can be."

The bartender hesitated, then leaned close, making sure no one else could hear. "I really don’t know about that supernatural shit, but… " He looked over towards one of the seating areas on the left of the bar, nodding towards a booth with two guys. "You should talk to Hidan, the silver haired guy. He's… connected."

Sasuke noted that while one man was covered with a hat and a mask the other had silver hair, slicked back from his forehead. He was wearing a black shirt, unbuttoned to show off his chest, whereas the other man was barely showing any skin at all, with his high collared shirt.

The silver-haired one, Hidan, was leaning back in his seat, a grin on his face as he looked out over the crowd, while his companion seemed busier with staring at his beer than anything else.

Grabbing Naruto's hand Sasuke pulled the blond over. If this was a lead they were not going to lose out.

"Hidan?" he asked as they stopped in front of their table.

The man looked up at them, eyes widening fractionally as he looked at Sasuke. Sasuke had no idea what that was about, but then the silver-haired man's face split into a grin.

"Kakuzu, get the fuck away, I got company," he said, not even glancing over at the other man sitting at the table.

Kakuzu grumbled something under his breath, but grabbed his beer and left one side of the booth empty. Hidan gestured for them to sit down, and Sasuke did so, warily. He was pretty sure this Hidan wasn’t a nice guy, so he was going to tread lightly. He did not want to get mixed up in any shit that could ruin their mission.

"So, you already know my fucking name, but I have no idea who you are."

"Sasuke and Naruto… Namikaze," Sasuke said, the last night feeling odd on his tongue.

"Aren't you two just fucking adorable, coming in here all innocent like," Hidan said, eyes darting over them.

"The bartender said you might know someone who could help us," Sasuke said, leaning back on the couch, trying to act like he fit right in. He could feel Naruto's leg next to his, bouncing up and down with what he assumed was nervous energy.

Hidan leaned across the table, smirking. "And how could I possibly help you two?"

"We are looking for a member of the fey." Sasuke said, dark eyes meeting Hidan's, noting they were an unnatural purple colour. He wasn’t sure what Hidan what, but he certainly wasn’t fully human. Not a vampire, or a shifter, but he could be some sort of fey as well, there were a ton of subspecies.

"Fucking humans, always meddling in fey business. Whatcha looking for? A leprechaun to give you his pot of gold? Hidan's grin turned into a sneer as he leaned back, crossing his arms.

Sasuke glared back at Hidan. "We're looking for an incubus," he said, noting Hidan's interest peeking.

"What the hell do you need a fucking incubus for?"

"We want to get a hit off of his magic," Sasuke said, allowing his lips to curl into a what he hoped would be a slightly lecherous grin.

"You're playing with fire, kid. Incubi aren’t prone to give their magic to just anyone."

"We can pay,"

"It's not money he's after."

"We know."

Hidan's grin widened as he leaned closer to them. Sasuke couldn’t decipher the look in his eyes, but he was starting to really wish he had his weapons with him. There was something off about this guy, but as of now he was their only lead, and he wanted this case over with as soon as possible. He needed to get home and away from Naruto and just clear his mind.

"I might be able to help you fuckers after all."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More familiar characters here! :D Also, yeah, I know the whole sharing a bed thing is a clichè and all, but dammit, it's fun! <3 Sasuke's so much in denial that he can't control himself when he falls asleep. ;)


	10. Chapter 10

"Hell no." Naruto stared incredulously down on the supposed "outfit" lying on his bed, shaking his head. No way in hell would he put on that and go outside where people could see him. Never ever. Not a chance in hell, not even when his bacon grew wings and flew into his mouth and the devil could take up figure skating.  
  
"Stop being a pussy," Sasuke said, showing no sympathy whatsoever.  
  
Naruto could not believe the direction this mission was going in. Here he thought they were going to hit a few casinos, go to a couple of night clubs, ask around until they found the guy they were looking for. He had never thought that would entail… this. Naruto shuddered.  
  
Sasuke grabbed a bag which probably contained the raven's new outfit, and headed for the bathroom, leaving Naruto alone in the room, giving him the privacy to change.   
  
Naruto poked the outfit, wincing at the shiny leather. He hated Kakashi right now, and was starting to seriously rethink this whole agent of the DPA thing. Maybe being a plain old cop had been good enough? Sure, people didn’t like him back then, but at least they never made him wear something quite like this. Naruto had looked damned good in his uniform, and he was pretty darn sure he would not look good in this new outfit.  
  
After reporting in the other day with what they had learned from the Hidan fellow, and where they would be going to find their target, Kakashi had arranged for these packages to be delivered to the hotel, claiming that they would need them to go undercover. Sasuke seemed to agree, and hadn’t complained once. The raven had probably gotten a way better costume.   
  
Getting rid of the clothes he already wore, Naruto started putting on his new clothes, muttering obscenities under his breath the entire time. He wanted to fake sudden illness, or maybe even actually hurt himself just a little—an ice-pick to the eye was looking more and more tempting by the minute. He'd be willing to do just about anything to get out of this. Too bad he took his job serious enough to actually go through with it. Fuuuck…  
  
Finally ready he turned around, looking into the full-length mirror behind the door, and winced. This was so not a good look for him, not at all. There was just no way he could go outside in this, he'd be ridiculed. Fine, so the club they would be going to was a gay club, but no one could be gay enough to find this outfit appropriate could they? Seriously?  
  
Naruto tugged at the bottom of the leather shorts, willing them to magically become longer. As it was they barely covered his ass. He whined to himself as he realised that people was actually going to see him wearing this. He was suddenly very happy he was naturally tan so he wouldn't have any stupid-looking tan lines showing on his thighs, as if that was important, as if _tan lines_ was the thing that would make or break this look.  
  
Looking down on his himself he had to admit that he had nice legs though, he just didn’t really have any overpowering need to flaunt them so willingly. _As long as Sasuke doesn’t try and force me to shave them_ , he thought. If Sasuke dared to air that idea Naruto was going to kick his ass.  
  
The shorts might be horrible, but the leather vest that came with it was just as bad, particularly since he wasn’t supposed to wear anything underneath it. The damned thing didn’t even have any buttons in the front, so it was flapping open, showing off pretty much all of his assets. The rest of the outfit consisted of a leather choker that was all too aptly named. The leather rubbed against the still sensitive skin from where the vampire had tried to take a bite out of him some days ago, and it felt like it was choking him. He normally didn’t even wear ties because they were too tight around his neck, and now he had to wear this. Fuck. Fuck. Fuckety-fuck-fuck.   
  
He heard the bathroom door opening behind him, and instantly blushed when he realised Sasuke would see him wearing this retarded thing. He had a silent hope that Sasuke's outfit would be just as bad.  
  
Slowly turning around he realised that nope, Sasuke's outfit was definitely not as bad as his own.   
  
Sasuke had been given leather pants, tight and shiny they clung to him, accentuating muscular legs, and probably his ass as well. Instead of a silly vest he was wearing a fishnet top, sleeveless to show off his arms. The black net against his pale skin was striking. Fuck, of course Sasuke would look fucking hot in his clothes, while Naruto looked like an absolute oaf.   
  
Sasuke's lips turned into a grin as he saw Naruto. "My, my, my, that's… something."  
  
"Shut up, bastard!" Naruto said, pulling the vest closed over his chest with one hand while tugging on the shorts with the other, trying to stop the wedgie that was in progress. "I can't go outside wearing this, please, just let me wear my regular clothes."  
  
Sasuke just shook his head. "You would stand out like a sore thumb in jeans. Believe me, it could be worse."  
  
Naruto frowned, how could Sasuke know normal clothes would make him stand out? He surely looked comfortable enough in his clothes, maybe this was what he did every weekend, dress up like some badass dom and head for the gay clubs. Naruto could actually totally envision Sasuke with a whip in one hand, and a paddle in the other. Snickering at the vision he momentarily forgot about the stupid clothes he had to wear, until Sasuke came up to him and ran a warm hand down his chest.   
  
"Look like you mean it, and maybe you can pull this off," he said with a smirk as he pulled on a silky, black, button up shirt, leaving it open, before heading for the door to the hallway.   
  
Naruto looked down on himself, whining at Sasuke to be let out of his misery. Sasuke surely couldn’t mean Naruto was meant to be walking around like this in the hotel? He'd be arrested for public indecency or something.   
  
"Well, if you are going to be a whiny bitch about it, there was a coat that came with it," Sasuke said, motioning towards a plastic bag placed next to the bed on Sasuke's side. Where Naruto wasn’t likely to see it. Naruto hurried over and pulled out an ankle length leather coat. Scowling at Sasuke he pulled it on and buttoned it all the way in the front.   
  
"When the fuck where you going to tell me about the coat?" he hissed as he hurried after Sasuke down the hallway.   
  
"I wasn’t."  
  


***

  
Sasuke couldn’t help the grin that rose on his lips as he saw Naruto's outfit. The blond looked absolutely miserable, constantly tugging at it to readjust it.   
  
Sasuke himself had enough confidence that walking around in leather and fishnet wasn’t a big deal, he knew he looked good in it. Naruto looked less confident in his tiny leather shorts. Sasuke would have to send a thank you card to Kakashi later on, for getting Naruto such a remarkably skimpy outfit. He'd never tell Naruto this, but the blond actually looked pretty good. His tan, muscular legs were properly shown off, as was his chest, and the tattoo that encircled his abdomen.   
  
Groaning at himself Sasuke set off towards the exit, taking mercy on Naruto and pointing out the leather trench coat that had come with the outfit. He could not believe he was actually standing here, thinking about how good Naruto looked in leather. Did his libido really have this bad a taste in men? He needed to get laid. Desperately so.  
  
Finally arriving at their destination Sasuke confidently strode up to the bouncer, flashing a grin that had the red rope parting before him almost instantly. Sasuke had never needed to stand in line for a club in his life, one of the perks with being above average in looks. He never got why people treated him differently just because they thought he looked good, but he knew to take advantage of it.   
  
Naruto followed close on his heels, looking increasingly uncomfortable, particularly when they came to the coat check and Sasuke arched one dark eyebrow, waiting for him to leave the trench coat behind. Naruto's eyes were wide in panic as he clutched the leather closer to his chest. Why the loser was this afraid of letting someone see him half naked Sasuke wasn’t sure. Naruto would have nothing to be afraid of, and if what Kakashi had told Sasuke about the club was correct he would be far from the most outrageously dressed man there. Sasuke shrugged off his shirt, leaving him in just the fishnet shirt, figuring it would probably be more than a little hot downstairs, and the leather pants wasn’t going to do much to help cool down.  
  
The Cage was _the_ it club for the gay community in town, located off the strip in the basement of an otherwise unassuming building. It apparently took its name from the cages that lined the sides of the dance floor, where guys could get their exhibitionistic side on, dancing for the crowd. It wasn’t an S &M club per se, but the dress code was all about less is better, and coming across people fucking in the dark corners was apparently common. It was no surprise their target would frequent a place like this, it would be oozing with sexual energy.   
  
Kakashi had been quite excited when he told Sasuke about the club, having apparently had a ball researching the place. The pervert demanded lots of picture, _because they were supposed to be gathering intel_ , but Sasuke was very much going to ignore that.   
  
Finally going through the dark velvet curtain that separated the entrance area from the club proper Sasuke was met by dark stairs leading towards the basement. The music was loud even up here, heavy on the bass. Heading into the darkness he caught himself wondering how far he could push Naruto before the guy freaked out completely. His outfit seemed to be a good start, but it would hardly be enough to make him to reconsider his career choice.   
  


***

  
Naruto chewed on his lip, one hand clutching at the leather vest, trying to cover up as much as he could as they walked down the stairs leading into the club. Finally entering the large, open area that made out the dance floor he looked around, and realised to his dismay that maybe Sasuke had been correct. He didn’t look out of place in his little leather ensemble at all. There were people walking around with chaps showing off their asses, and people walking around with belts crossing over the shoulders rather than an actual shirt. There were several others who wore shorts just like Naruto, and even a couple who wore just thongs. Naruto felt his eyes widening as he took it all in. He had never been in a place even remotely like this. He didn’t think places like this even existed, outside of porn movies.   
  
Finally daring to let his hands fall away from his vest he looked over at Sasuke, who was grinning at him, the _I told you so_ probably itching to get be said.   
  
Not wanting to be looked at like some inexperienced teenager Naruto lifted his chin, trying to muster all the confidence he possessed, before striding towards the bar, silently very aware of the fact that he was half naked, and that people were looking at him. He only hoped it had less to do with the fact that he was a shifter, and more to do with the fact that he was half naked. People ogling his body he could deal with.   
  
He could have worn makeup to hide the distinct marks on his cheeks, had a couple times in his youth, but he had long since sworn not to hide who he was. He wanted to gain people's respect while being who he was, not by hiding. He was a shifter; people would just have to deal with it.   
  
Sliding down on the one available stool by the bar Naruto waited patiently for the bartender to come over. Buying a drink was a little bit a way to get talking to the bartender, and a little bit a way to calm his nerves. So far Sasuke had been the one to take charge, but Naruto wasn’t going to keep letting him. Naruto could do this just as well, he was gonna show Sasuke that he wasn’t a damned rookie.  
  
When the bartender finally acknowledged him Naruto set to work.  
  


***

  
Sasuke watched from the background as Naruto strode over to the bar, and soon started talking to the bartender, asking if he would have any knowledge of someone who could help them have some extra fun on their trip. The blond seemed to have long since forgotten about his outfit, because the way he was leaning over the bar made a fine job of showing off his ass, the leather taut across it. Sasuke could see a couple of other guys had noticed as well.   
  
Stalking over towards Naruto he laid a hand on the blond's back, showing that he was taken. He wasn’t quite sure why he was bothering to save Naruto from the lecherous guys zeroing on the oblivious blond, but they were supposed to be newlyweds after all, acting possessive was probably the right way to go.   
  
The bartender just shook his head at Naruto's request, making it obvious that he either had no idea if their target was in the bar, or that he wasn’t about to tell.   
  
Sasuke directed his dark eyes out over the crowd, taking in the place. The giant dance floor was taking up most of the space. The DJ booth was directly across from the bar, set on a small podium, strobe lights flashing on top of it. There were a large balcony overlooking the dance floor, and Sasuke realised it was the VIP area when he noted the bouncer standing by a staircase leading upstairs.   
Several eyes were looking down on the dance floor, and Sasuke immediately knew that if their target were here he would be sitting up on the balcony.   
  
Being an Uchiha he would have no problem getting into any VIP area, but he was undercover, so using his status would be a terrible idea. They would have to find some other way to gain the attention of their target.   
  
Being an incubus there was one thing the man would respond to more than anything else: sex. Not that Sasuke had any intention of having sex in this club, and certainly not with Naruto, but that didn’t meant they couldn’t make it look like they would. If their target was looking down on them they would just have to put on a show interesting enough to get his attention. Hidan had told them where the incubus would be, and when, but Sasuke still didn’t know if it meant that the silver-haired man had any connections to the incubus, or just knew of it. The incubus might know that they would be coming, and was already assessing them, or he wouldn’t know, and they needed to make him aware of them.  
  
"Drink up, we're going hunting," Sasuke said to Naruto.  
  


***

  
Naruto followed Sasuke onto the dance floor, unsure what the hell Sasuke was talking about. Had he found their target already?   
  
Naruto's eyes flew open in surprise when Sasuke grabbed his hips and pulled him flush against his body.   
  
"What?" He sputtered as Sasuke leaned close enough that his breath was fanning over Naruto's ear.   
  
"We are going to get his attention. You do know what an incubus is known for right?"  
  
Naruto huffed. Of course he knew about incubi, he had taken all the classes on the supernatural species after all. Known for the insatiable sexual appetite they fed on sexual energy, whether by engaging in sexual activities of their own, or leeching off other people having sex.  
  
Naruto's mouth fell open when he realised what that might entail. "You do not mean we are going to have sex do you?" he stuttered, suddenly very aware of how hot Sasuke felt being pressed tight against him. His hands were still resting on Naruto's hips, pushing at him to sway to the music.  
  
"No, loser, don't be stupid. We'll just put on a show to get him interested. He's probably already watching for something, so we just need to catch his attention. Or are you too much of a pussy to dance with me?"  
  
Naruto felt relieved at hearing that, right up until the point where Sasuke's hand moved from his hip to his ass.   
  
"Dance, idiot," Sasuke whispered in his ear, and Naruto could hear the smirk on his face .The bastard seemed to be enjoying this just a bit too much. He would learn that Naruto was not one to back away from a challenge though. Wrapping his arms around Sasuke's neck he started moving to the music, feeling the thrum of the bass vibrating through his body, allowing him to tune in to it and sway his hips accordingly.  
  
He might not the used to the club scene, but Naruto wasn’t unfamiliar with music. He always had something playing when he were home, and would dance around to it all the time. He loved letting his body just go with the flow, picking up the beat and just do what felt right. And at the moment the beat was low and sensual, filling him with a raw energy. Oh, he was going to show Sasuke just how good a show he could put on.  
  
The dance floor was filled with dancing people, and they would bump into them ever so often, but soon Naruto forgot all about them. Forgot about the stupid outfit and the bastard he was dancing with and just let the music rule him.   
  
He didn’t notice when his fingers started fisting in the fishnet above Sasuke's shoulders, nor did he give it much thought when his hips started moving together with Sasuke's, crotches rubbing up against each other in a very sexual manner. The room was growing hotter around them, and had he opened his eyes he would have seen several pairs of eyes staring at the couple in open admiration.   
  


***

  
Hidan and Kakuzu were lurking in a dark corner of the club, eyes locked on the pair currently thrusting against each other on the floor.   
  
"Fuck, if I wasn’t already gay that would have made me change sides immediately," Hidan said, lecherous grin spreading on his face. His purple eyes were glued to the display in front of him. As he looked Naruto grabbed hold of Sasuke, spinning him around until his back was pressed against his tan chest, strong hands running down the raven's chest. Sasuke's head tilted back to rest on the blond's shoulder. Both had their eyes close, seemingly caring little for anyone else but the two of them.   
  
Hidan reached down to adjust the erection that was making itself very present in his tight black jeans. "I fucking wish our job entailed more of this," he grinned, sparing a quick glance over at Kakuzu.   
  
Kakuzu glanced back, seemingly very unimpressed. "Just don’t forget that we _have_ an actual job to do."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I fucking know that. Doesn’t mean I can't have some fun watching first."  
  


***

Sasuke was having a hard time focusing on what they were meant to be doing right now. He knew they had a job he was supposed to be focused on, but all thought of that was slipping away from him. Naruto's body pressed up against his own was way too distracting. And the way his hands were moving across his chest, and then down across his hipbones… And then there was a mouth on his neck, lips sucking on the sensitive flesh. Fuck, when had this happened, when had he become this fucking desperate that he would find Naruto's touch this infuriatingly sexy?  
  
He knew somewhere in the back of his mind that he was supposed to hate Naruto's guts, but right now he was finding it surprisingly hard. He moved his hips, his ass rubbing up against Naruto, and he was sure he felt a definite erection there. Apparently Naruto wasn’t just acting. But then again, Sasuke was starting to get hard himself, so who was he to talk?  
  
Twisting in Naruto's arms he completely let his inhibitions go as he pulled Naruto close, finding his lips in a searing kiss. Right now he didn’t care about the mission, didn’t care about the fact that he was supposed to be scaring Naruto away, didn’t even care about his search for vengeance. All he wanted just now was to feel more of Naruto.   
  
His tongue pressed against Naruto's soft lips, and Naruto immediately opened for him, his own tongue coming out to tangle with Sasuke's.   
  
Sasuke knew he'd had some foolish idea to scare Naruto away by getting touchy-feely, but it didn’t look like that was going to work. Either Naruto was just as gay as Sasuke was, or he just didn’t care who he made out with, because he threw himself into the kiss with a furious passion. He definitely wasn’t running away, that was for sure, and right in that moment Sasuke was damned happy.   
  
His hands slid up, fingers tangling in Naruto's messy hair, pulling at it to tilt his head just right. They were almost equal in height, so it was easy to deepen the kiss, to rub his crotch up against Naruto's, to let one hand slid down Naruto's strong back until he got a good grip on his ass.   
  
Abruptly Naruto pulled away from the kiss, and Sasuke caught himself almost whining in protest. He managed to control himself, he was an Uchiha after all, but just barely. "Incubi glow right, right?" Naruto whispered, his lips close enough to Sasuke's ear that he felt warm breath fanning over it.   
  
It took his lust filled mind a moment to comprehend what the hell Naruto was talking about. "Yes, they'll glow slightly when they are feeding, or preparing to."   
  
"Then I think our show is working, "Naruto said. "On the balcony, over the DJ booth."  
  
Sasuke twisted in Naruto's arms, pretending to still be dancing while casting a glance up at the balcony. Sure enough, a man was standing by the railing, eyes directed into the crowd, a faint red glow noticeable around him. Not enough that most people would notice, unless you knew what to look for. It was hard to tell with the flashing lights on the dance floor, but it certainly looked like the man was looking in their direction. Sasuke made sure to keep eye contact as he rotated his hips in a way he knew would look more than a little sexual.   
  
"Oh, he's definitely watching," Naruto said.   
  
Sasuke realised that due to being a shifter Naruto's eyesight was probably better in the dark than Sasuke's, and he'd be able to see the man more clearly.   
  
Naruto's mouth dipped to Sasuke's neck again, fusing against the soft skin as he sucked. He'd probably leave a prominent hickey, but Sasuke didn’t care, he just dug his fingers into Naruto's hips behind him, pulling the blond closer. Naruto's lips against his skin felt fucking amazing, and he was suddenly finding it hard to concentrate again.  
  
He had to force his eyes open to stare up at the man on the balcony again, and saw the man beckoning them over with a crooked finger. Sasuke knew they would have to go there, that they had a job to do, but right now he really didn’t want to.   
  
"Let's go, our plan worked," Naruto said, pulling away from Sasuke to stalk towards the bouncer at the VIP entrance. Sasuke couldn’t help but feel disappointment rush through him. Naruto had seemingly no problem letting go of Sasuke to go back to work. Was the blond really this good of an actor, had it all been a show for their target? Hadn't he felt anything? Sasuke had meant to be acting, but somehow he had lost himself completely, and right now he wanted nothing more than to fuck Naruto senseless right here, right now. Looked like Naruto didn’t actually want Sasuke at all, he was just working. Wasn’t that just messed up, someone else taking this job more serious than Sasuke Uchiha? It wasn’t for nothing that Sasuke had gotten the reputation that he was an ice cold workaholic. Up until now his life had been all about the job. He never allowed feelings of any kind to take precedent over that, but now he was suddenly letting his libido take control.   
  
What was it with Naruto that made him lose control completely? Not only with this, but with everything. The way he lost it completely when Naruto had been hurt, the way Naruto pushed all his buttons, making the otherwise stoic Sasuke furious with rage. Sasuke would have never ended up in something as lowly as a fistfight before, but with Naruto he just forgot who he was and suddenly all he could think about was Naruto. How infuriating the blond was. How reckless. How sexy.   
  
Fuck, he needed to focus. They were in the middle of a mission, about to meet up with their target, this was not the moment for soul searching. Sasuke hurried after Naruto. They had an incubus to talk to.


	11. Chapter 11

Naruto clutched his drink, and cast a small glance over at Sasuke. They were sitting next to each other on a small leather couch, their target across from them, leaning back, his arm slung across the back of his armchair, a very satisfied smile on his face. The red glow around him was increasing by the minute, and he looked mostly like he wanted to devour both of them.  
  
Sasuke was doing most of the talking, keeping up their cover while simultaneously trying to fish out the information they were looking for. He was doing a hell of a job of it, warming the incubi up and getting closer and closer to what they wanted to hear while keeping him unsuspecting.  
  
It wasn’t illegal for incubi to feed off of humans, it was the only way for them to sustain themselves, but the laws were strict, only allowing them to feed off of willing victims. Which was rarely a problem as incubi were always attractive, and humans were drawn to their sexual energy like moths to a flame.  
  
Problem was, an incubi's blood held the same power, and on the black market it was valued as the ultimate aphrodisiac. Humans who ingested it would be filled with lust, and it was said that having sex while high on incubi blood was one of the headiest experiences one could share in the bedroom. Not all people used it just to enhance their sex life though, they used it in a much more malevolent way. Just a small vial of blood and you could have anyone you wanted, willing or not. It made it a highly dangerous substance, much more potent than any pharmaceutical date rape drugs and thusly highly illegal to sell or buy.  
  
That didn’t stop people though, and lately Las Vegas had been experiencing a string of rapes where the victims had claimed to be overcome with a lust they could not control, falling into bed with people they normally wouldn’t have. Ex-boyfriends, stalkers, people they didn’t know. It was apparent that someone was flooding the market with incubi blood, and probably making a fortune off of it.  
  
Incubi were rare, but they couldn't be sure this particular one was the culprit, they needed hard evidence for that, the reason Sasuke and Naruto was here. If they could get the incubi to sell them some of his blood they would have enough evidence to build a case on. Normally the local branch of DPA would have handled this, but incubi were notoriously wary of the government agencies, and they hadn’t wanted to send in someone he might know off, hence the need for two completely fresh faces.  
  
Pacifist by nature the incubus would never harm anyone intentionally, but by pawning off his blood he was allowing harm to come to others, and they needed to stop him. If they could only get the evidence they needed to bring him down. It would take very little for this case to crumble completely.  
  
They had been frisked before being allowed to meet with the incubi (it had been very quick job to frisk Naruto, not a whole lot of places to hide weapons in his outfit), so it was clear the incubi was careful. Good thing they had been told weapons would be a no go already.  
  
Naruto leaned closer to Sasuke, their thighs brushing up against each other. He couldn’t really believe what they had been doing down on the dance floor. He knew he had the one to bring up the fact that they needed to act more like newlyweds, but he was pretty sure they had acted more like horny teenagers than anything. He wasn’t sure what had gotten over him. With the music and Sasuke pressed so close he had just forgotten about work, and about the fact that Sasuke was a stuck-up bastard who hated him, and soon they were rutting against each other on the dance floor, other people and stupid outfits long forgotten. He couldn't remember the last time he had been this horny, and it was only luck he had caught the red glow from the balcony, reminding him off why they were there.  
  
He had left clear marks of what they had been doing on Sasuke's neck, deep purple hickeys showing him just how into it Naruto had been. Naruto didn’t want to admit to himself just how sexy his marks on Sasuke's pale skin looked.  
  
He could feel a blush creeping to his cheeks as he thought back to just how good it had felt with Sasuke's ass rubbing against his crotch. He was sure Sasuke had noticed just how hard he had become, there were no way he couldn’t have. Naruto was afraid Sasuke was going to be using it against him later on. Sure, so Sasuke had seemed like he was into it as well, but that had to be acting. No way would Sasuke ever get turned on by Naruto. Naruto highly doubted Sasuke would be gay, he seemed more like the… well, in fact he seemed like the type of guy that was too busy with work for something as trivial as sex.  
  
Turning his attention back towards the conversation he let his gaze slide over the incubus. The man was undoubtedly handsome, but that was kind of a given when you could change how you looked. His eyes were brown, fringed with thick eyelashes. His lips looked soft, and he had just enough stubble on his chin to really set off his strong jaw. He looked muscular under the tight black shirt he was wearing as well. In fact, the man looked like the very epitome of handsome man, but still Naruto felt his gaze drawn back to Sasuke. Sasuke was colder, more reserved, handsome in a sort of stand-offish way, but Naruto couldn’t help but feel that his cock started stirring in his shorts when he looked at his partner. The incubus did nothing for him.  
  
He could hear Sasuke steer the conversation in on the information they needed, and was surprised to find that the incubus was very loose lipped. He readily admitted to the fact that incubus blood could be used to make quite the potent love potions, making anyone ready for anything.  
  
"Just a few drops of my blood and you'll be doing it all night," he said, voice husky as the glow around him pulsated. His eyes kept drifting from Sasuke to Naruto.  
  
"It is magnificent. Each touch inflames your body, all your nerve endings are on fire with passion, and you can keep going all night long. Over and over and over again," he said with a leer, leaning closer to them, his eyes sparkling with lust.  
  
Naruto gulped as the incubus locked his eyes with him, before dragging slowly down his body. It was as if he could feel the way that gaze touched every part of him, making him very aware of how exposed his outfit made him.  
  
"All I would need in return is just to feed a little," he continued. "Watching you two down there, it was the most appetizing thing I've seen in a long time, I'd do a lot to get a taste of that." His tongue peeked out to lick at his lips, his eyes shining with apparent lust.  
  
Sasuke's hand suddenly moved to Naruto's thigh, slowly gliding up it. Naruto tensed under the touch, wanting Sasuke to continue while simultaneously wanting him to stop. He was feeling seriously conflicted with his emotions right now, and with Sasuke touching him like that all he could think of was _dear god please make Sasuke gay so I can fuck him, oh pretty please._ All thoughts of professionalism vanished out the window, every memory of Sasuke being a prick, and what was left was just pure unadulterated lust. He wanted Sasuke, and he wanted him bad.  
  
A part of him wished this heady intoxication could be blamed on the incubus' presence, but Naruto didn’t really believe that. He was just starved sexually, and Sasuke was so damned hot in that fishnet and leather, and Naruto just couldn’t concentrate at all anymore.  
  
The incubus' eyes were locked on Sasuke's hand as it slowly made its way up Naruto's tan thigh, the small touch sending fire racing up Naruto's insides. He was so turned on he could barely think straight anymore.  
  
Sasuke leaned closer, the sounds of leather squeaking as it rubbed against leather suddenly loud in Naruto's ears even over the sounds of music still thumping. Sasuke's lips brushed against his ear.  
  
"We almost have him. We just need to convince him to give us a sample," Sasuke whispered. The words sounded almost like a dare to Naruto's ears.  
  
Naruto had never ever loved his job more than he did in that moment as he took Sasuke's dare, tossing himself into it willingly. He pushed at Sasuke's shoulder, pressing him back against the couch as he himself swung one leg across his lap, leaving him straddling the raven. Their bodies pressed flush against each other he met Sasuke's lips in a demanding kiss.  
  
He was thrumming with sexual energy, his body ready to snap any moments. He no longer had any idea if it was just the way Sasuke was affecting him, or if the incubus was sending off pulses of lust that was meddling with his head, but all he could think of right then and there was to get more of the man underneath him.  
  
He buried his hands in Sasuke's hair, pushing his tongue past the raven's lips, deepening the kiss.  
  
Sasuke was not about to let him do all the work though, and soon Naruto felt hands slide up his hips until Sasuke was firmly cupping his ass, pulling Naruto even closer. Their crotches were rubbing against each other, and it was apparent that they were both equally turned on.  
  
Naruto was ready to just rip their clothes off and get down to it right then and there when he heard a throaty chuckle from behind them, the sound just barely piercing through his lust-filled mind to make him realise just where they were and what they was about to do. He dragged himself away from Sasuke's lips. Their eyes locked for a moment, and Naruto was shocked to see the raven's eyes filled with passion and heat. Gone were the cold glare, and it made Sasuke even more breathtakingly handsome.  
  
"Well, well, well, wasn’t that quite the little show," the incubus laughed. Naruto tore his gaze away from Sasuke's, plastering a big grin on his face.  
  
"Enough for a sample then?" he said, winking salaciously, hoping they'd convinced him to give up what was to become the evidence that would lock him away from a good, long time.  
  
The incubus was standing in front of them, and now he held out a hand. Naruto grasped it and found himself pulled to his feet, a little too close to the incubus for comfort.  
  
The incubus' brown eyes slid down Naruto's body as he held out a small vial of dark red liquid. Naruto grabbed it and tossed it over to Sasuke, it wasn’t like Naruto had something as practical as pockets on this outfit after all. The incubus' eyes locked on his and Naruto saw heat and lust in that gaze, and immediately he felt tingle up his spine as the incubus's powers caressed him.  
  
"There's really no need to leave yet, I would love a sample for myself," the silky voice practically purred as he took a step closer to Naruto, almost brushing up against him. Naruto was torn between wanting to step away and wanting to stop closer. He might prefer Sasuke, but that didn’t meant the incubus wasn’t sex on a stick as well, and with the heady power leaking off of him directed fully at Naruto he was starting to feel that maybe it wouldn’t be all bad to stay just a little bit longer.  
  
Full lips quirked into a grin as the incubus extended a hand, letting one finger gently trace down Naruto's chest, from collarbone to edge of leather shorts. Naruto shuddered as lust suddenly flooded him.  
  
"Your man can watch if he want, I just want a small taste," the incubus said, his voice growing husky as he dipped a finger into the edge of Naruto's shorts, pulling Naruto those final inches. He stumbled slightly, and ended up pressed up against the incubus's muscular chest. His vest had parted, so there was nothing but the thin silk of the incubus' shirt between them. Naruto felt warm and tingly and achy. Achy for someone to touch him and release the lust that was burning through him. It was like a heady intoxication, making him forget what exactly he was doing here. All he could think about was the warm body pressed against him.  
  
"I've never been with a shifter before, I hear you have excellent _stamina_." The last word was whispered in a tone that implied that that stamina would be very much needed in whatever plans the incubus had for them.  
  
Naruto was perfectly ready to rip off his clothes and jump the man in front of him when he suddenly felt a warm touch against his bicep.  
  
He blinked owlishly and looked down, seeing strong fingers wrapped around his muscle. Pale skin that most definitely did not belong to the incubus in front of him…  
  
Sasuke! Naruto's head snapped around putting him face to face with the raven. Dark eyes locked on his, and Naruto was surprised to see him looking furious.  
  
The next thing he knew he was pulled away from the incubus and found himself wrapped up in Sasuke's arms, the raven's lips pressed hard against his, stealing his breath away in a kiss that pushed all thoughts of incubi out of Naruto's mind. His whole being zeroed in on Sasuke, the feel of his lips against his, and his body pressed up against his. This was different, this was real. Where the incubus's touch has sparked lust, it had been a forced lust. With Sasuke it was a lust born within, and it was overwhelming in a whole different way.  
  
Naruto moaned into the kiss just as Sasuke pulled away.  
  
"He's mine," Sasuke said, and suddenly Naruto felt himself yanked away.  
  
The incubus didn’t seem all that sad about the turn of events. He was glowing again, his lips set in a wide grin as he started laughing. "Not one for sharing are you? I shouldn’t be surprised, who would ever want to share when they've caught such a delicious prey?" He winked at Naruto, who knew he should probably be offended at being called prey, but couldn’t quite muster up a care in the world over something as trivial.  
  
"The offer still stands if you do change your mind," the brunette said, eyes travelling down Naruto's body one more time.  
  
Sasuke didn’t deem that worthy of an answer and a couple of minutes later Naruto found himself standing outside the club, leather trench again wrapped around himself, feeling self-conscious now that they had left the pulsating beat and heat of the club behind them. His mind was reeling, and even with the abrupt departure he could still feel lust flowing through him. He wanted to push Sasuke up against the closest wall and have his way with him, but out of the darkness of the club and out here, in real life, he realised that he had no idea where they were standing. He had no idea what was acting, what was real and what was just them getting carried away.  
  
"We got what we needed, let's go back to the hotel," Sasuke muttered and turned to start walking down the neon-lit street. Naruto shook his head and followed. He couldn’t decipher Sasuke at all. He sounded pissed off, but then again, he sounded pissed off all the time. Naruto didn’t know if he'd done anything wrong, or if Sasuke was just pissed off because their job had entailed making out with Naruto, or if he was just pissed off because he was a bastard and he knew it.  
  
They walked in silence for a while, Naruto trying to get his mind to functioning again. He couldn’t quite brush away his horniness, but more than anything he was just confused.  
  
Soon he felt Sasuke tensing next to him. For a second he started worrying what the fact that he was so tuned in to the raven that he could feel such a small thing meant, but he brushed that away to deal with later. Casting a glance over to the side he met dark eyes, reading the warning in them. Something was wrong, but Naruto didn’t know what. He kept walking, trying to act casual, while simultaneously straining his ears to make out something that would worry Sasuke.  
  
There! Boots skidding on the sidewalk, a stone scattering through the night. Someone was definitely following them. Looking over at Sasuke he nodded, showing that he had heard it as well.  
  
Suddenly Naruto felt himself get tugged into a doorway, pressed up against the brick wall as Sasuke attached himself to his collarbone. His head thumped against the wall, making him hiss for a moment. He'd get angry if Sasuke wasn’t so masterfully sucking on his skin.  
  
"Can you see them?" Sasuke murmured silently against him as his lips worked on a hickey. Naruto had to force himself to ignore the way Sasuke's lips felt against his own as he peered over his shoulder, scanning the darkness for whoever had followed them. At first there was nothing, then he saw a shadow moving, slinking out of an alley a while behind them, walking slowly before sliding into the next alley, out of view again. He was definitely up to something, no ordinary person did that. He had to be stalking them. The reason was unclear though. Had he something to do with the incubus? Or was it just some common thug? Maybe a homophobe out to dish a beating. Naruto's training overpowered any residual confusion in his mind, sharpening it as he prepared for whatever might happen.  
  
"There's at least one guy, he hid in an alley. Definitively following us," Naruto whispered.  
  
"Hn," Sasuke replied as he pulled himself away again, much to Naruto's silent dismay. "We'll go to the end of the block, hide just around the corner and wait for him to come. He won't know we are waiting for them," he whispered, mouth close to Naruto's ear to ensure no one overheard them.  
  
Naruto nodded, and they immediately pulled out of the doorway, Naruto slinging his arm around Sasuke to make them look like two lovers on the way home. He still had no idea who it was following them, so it would be wise to keep up their cover. Hopefully it wouldn’t be anything bad and they could just go back to the hotel room and he'd finally be able to get out of these idiotic clothes—  
  
Shit, he just realised that they didn’t have any weapons whatsoever. Not to mention the fact that if this ended up in a fight he would have to fight dressed up like some porno version of the guy from The Matrix. He really missed his regular clothes right about now. Pants would have been pretty fucking amazing right about now.  
  
They turned a corner, barely able to make out the sound of someone still following them, and quickly ducked into the nearest alley, out of sight. They could hear footsteps closing in, their stalker having obviously seen them turn the corner, and was following, but soon the sounds stopped, presumably because he didn’t know where Sasuke and Naruto had vanished to.  
  
Naruto tried to ignore the smell that was surrounding him, not wanting to know what had crawled into this alley to die to leave a scent this foul, and instead focused on the task at hand. He peered out from around the dumpster they had sought refuge behind, but he couldn’t see anyone. Carefully sneaking towards the mouth of the alley he and Sasuke easily slid back into work mode, a single glance telling them exactly what the other was about to do.  
  
With a nod to confirm their plan they stepped out of the alley, taking separate directions to ensure they wouldn’t be taken by surprise. Naruto's side of the road was empty, no one to be seen, so he quickly turned towards Sasuke just in time to see his partner slam a man up against the wall, his arm wrenched up against his back.  
  
"Fuck man, lemme go," the other man hissed, tugging at his arm, but soon finding it futile. Naruto jogged over, grabbing a good hold of the other man's silver hair, and used it to hug his head back, looking into purple eyes. If the hair hadn’t already told him who it was those eyes certainly did.  
  
"Hidan, why are you following us?" he spit out. He hadn’t had the best of feelings about the guy back in the club where they'd first met him, and this only strengthened those feelings.  
  
Hidan grunted as Sasuke pulled slightly at his arm.  
  
"I'm not fucking following you shitheads, I was just walking home," he said, chuckling. The laughter was strained, probably due to the fact that he was pressed up against a wall. Naruto couldn’t care less. Innocent people didn’t stalk other people. He just needed to find out if the guy was a common perv, or something worse. He tightened his grip in Hidan's hair.  
  
"Do you think I'm stupid?"  
  
The man seemed to consider for a moment, his eyes darting up for a split second before his lips stretched into a wide grin. Naruto followed his gaze up, eyes widening when he saw someone standing on the fire escape above them. The man's face was hidden behind a high collar, but Naruto recognised him as the man Hidan had been sitting with when they first met him.  
  
Naruto didn’t have time to react before the man dropped down towards them, landing with a grunt and following up with a fist directed at Naruto. Naruto lost his grip on Hidan's hair as he tried, and failed, to duck. The fist connected with his cheek, sending him flying backwards. He landed on the ground with a pained groan. Immediately his hands went to his side, looking for his gun, before he realised that he was unarmed.  
  
Looking back up at the scene he saw that Sasuke had been forced to relinquish his hold on on Hidan and was trying to fend off the punches the other man was throwing at him.  
  
"Fucking hell, Kakuzu, about time you showed up," Hidan called to the brown-haired man, still grinning.  
  
Naruto saw Sasuke land a hard blow to the side of Kakuzu's head, making the larger man stumble. Hidan chose that moment to reach into the long, black coat he wore, pulling out a large knife, arching it through the air. Naruto yelled out a warning that did nothing as the blade pressed firmly against Sasuke's neck, freezing him mid-punch.  
  
Kakuzu sneered, turned and fixated his eyes on Naruto. Naruto's own eyes widened in shock when he finally saw how the man looked. A mask covered most of his face, but his eyes were very visible. Green on red they looked like nothing he had seen before.  
  
Who the hell were these guys? _What_ were they? Back in the first club Naruto had just thought they were some regular guys with a hand in the black market, just enough to know where to find illegal substances such as incubus blood. Hidan's purple eyes could have been explained away as coloured lenses, but Kakuzu's? They were definitely some variety of the supernatural, Naruto just had no clue what, or why they had been stalking them.  
  
Kakuzu crouched in front of Naruto, grabbing him by the choker around his neck and pulling him to his feet. Naruto hissed in pain as the leather rubbed at his still healing skin, but he didn’t dare fight back, not with the blade pressing against Sasuke's skin.  
  
"I wouldn’t have to bail you out if you hadn’t let them find out about you, Hidan," the hooded man said, pressing one of his arms around Naruto's neck, tightening just enough to show how easily he could cut off his air supply.  
  
"Well, fuck, it's not my fault they have like superhearing or something."  
  
"He's a shifter, what did you expect?" Kakuzu growled, sounding more than a little annoyed at Hidan.  
  
Naruto didn’t like how this evening was turning out. Now both Sasuke and he were incapacitated by two men after god knows what. Naruto had still no idea what their intentions were, but it was getting pretty clear it wasn’t good.  
  
Naruto was pretty sure he could throw off Kakuzu and take him on, but he also realised that it would probably be the death of Sasuke. The long blade pressed up against his neck looked deadly sharp, and somehow he didn’t think Hidan seemed like the guy who would hesitate to kill. He had that look in his eyes, something utterly unstable.  
  
"What do you want?" Sasuke asked, sounding surprisingly calm considering the situation. Naruto could see the way the blade was pressed hard against his neck, a couple of drops of blood running down the pale skin where it had dug a little too deep and ripped open the skin.  
  
"Well, we were going to wait until you were alone," Hidan said, looking down at Sasuke, still grinning. "But you kind of ruined that for us."  
  
Sasuke sneered, seemingly highly unimpressed.  
  
"See, we used to work with someone you know…" Hidan leaned closer, mouth nearly touching Sasuke's ear. Naruto couldn’t help but to pull against Kakuzu arm, not liking the way Hidan was leering at _his_ Sasuke! His lips pulled back from his teeth, and he could hear himself growling.  
  
Hidan just laughed. "Oh, Itachi will have a ball when he learns you've hooked up with a fucking shifter."  
  
Naruto had no idea who Itachi was, but it was clear that Sasuke knew. His face blanched, eyes widening in what looked deceptively like terror.  
  
Moments later his gaze connected with Naruto's. "Naruto, you have to get away from here," he said, voice steady, eyes narrowing back to their usual glare, but Naruto could sense that he was far from calm underneath that icy exterior.  
  
"I'm not leaving you, Sasuke," Naruto said. He would never abandon his partner, no matter how bad the situation was.  
  
"Naruto, listen to me for once. Get the hell away! Just shift, they won't be able to stop you, you know that."  
  
Hidan locked eyes with Naruto. "If you so much as try I will slit your boyfriend's throat," he said, grin looking eviler by the minute.  
  
"He won't do it Naruto, Itachi wouldn’t allow him, would he?" Sasuke said obstinately,  
  
Hidan just huffed, grabbing Sasuke's hair and tilting his head backwards, pressing the pale column of his neck harder into the blade. More drops of crimson blossomed around the edge of the blade, slowly sliding down Sasuke's neck.  
  
Naruto didn’t know what to do, but his body knew what it wanted to do. He could feel heat curling in his stomach, like a blasting hot furnace. He could feel the beast within stir to life, the alluring power from it seeping through his body, urging him to lose control for once, to allow the beast to run free.  
  
 _No, I won't,_ Naruto fought with himself. He wouldn't allow the beast inside to take control, wouldn’t let him break free of the chains he had wrapped around him. He didn’t dare. Sasuke didn’t know what could happen if he allowed that to happen, didn’t know the destructive force Naruto had hidden deep within.  
  
He could feel his body shake as the beast roared its frustration, imploring to be let free, begging for Naruto to give over the reins for once. The beast could take on Hidan and Kakuzu, could rip them to shreds and bathe in their blood. Problem was that Naruto knew the beast, had been living with it inside for all his life. The beast would never stop with just the two. If it got loose it would slaughter everyone. Hidan, Sasuke, the entire world, it didn’t matter to the beast.  
  
The world became bathed in red as Naruto felt red bleed into his eyes. The beast was feeding on his anger, inching its way towards control.  
  
"NOO!" Naruto roared, pulling against Kakuzu's arm, ripping out of the grip. He dropped to the ground, landing on his hands and knees. Looking down he saw his fingers curl into the asphalt, fingertips shimmering as they started growing into claws. No, he couldn’t allow the beast to escape, had to fight it, he had to be strong.  
  
His gums ached as his teeth shifted, normal blunt teeth sharpening, growing into sharp fangs. The beast was rattling at the bars in front of its cage, chains rattling as it screamed for Naruto to let him free.  
  
A hand touched Naruto's shoulder, and he snapped around, latching onto the hand, still-growing claws digging into the flesh of Kakuzu arm. He could see the man hesitate as he saw the look on Naruto's face, saw the way it contorted into a mask of anger and fury. He took a hesitant step backwards, and Naruto attacked, jumping from the ground like an animal, pouncing on Kakuzu's chest, throwing the other man to the ground, landing atop of him. In that moment he wanted nothing more than to rip into the exposed flesh of the man's neck and tear open his artery, feel the warm stickiness of his blood coating him. He growled deep in his throat, willing the man to make one false move.  
  
"Hey! Fucking shifter! Remember your little lover here," he heard someone yell, and by chance or pure luck the voice was able to penetrate his mind and the blood lust that was seeping through it. His head snapped towards the sound, and upon seeing Hidan still holding Sasuke by his hair, wicked blade pressed against his frail neck Naruto finally gained some control of himself. Fighting for control with the beast he stared at Hidan, wanting to rip his throat out for harming Sasuke, wanted to dig his claws into the soft flesh of his abdomen and rip out his intestines.  
  
Then his eyes met Sasuke's, and Naruto finally got some control back. Sasuke looked perfectly calm, even with his partner turning into a beast and a blade digging into his skin, but Naruto knew he couldn't be that calm on the inside.  
  
"Sasuke," Naruto growled, trying to make Sasuke realise that there was no way he would ever leave without Sasuke, that the raven better not try and imply that ever again. Dark eyes locked with his now red, and in that second they could read each other clearly.  
  
Naruto burst from the ground in a sudden attack towards Hidan, leaving Kakuzu lying forgotten behind him. Hidan reacted by instinct, stumbling backwards, loosening the blade around Sasuke's neck just enough for Sasuke to wrench loose, dip down and send his elbow flying into Hidan's stomach. The man's breath whooshed out of him just as Naruto's shoulder connected with his shoulder, throwing him off balance, stumbling into the brick wall.  
  
Naruto's hands fisted in Hidan's coat, and now that the silver-haired man's blade was lying on the ground there was nothing he could do to protect himself as Naruto leaned closer. His eyes were steadily turning back to his usual blue, but that didn’t mean they weren’t still looking like he wanted to kill Hidan.  
  
"Tell me about Itachi," Sasuke said, standing behind Naruto, locking eyes with Hidan.  
  
"Oh, baby Uchiha, like I'd ever fucking tell you with this guy around," he nodded towards Naruto. "Get rid of him and I will take you to Itachi, you can talk to him all you want. His mouth twisted into a grin again.  
  
"Tell me where he is!" Sasuke demanded. Naruto was more than a little confused with the conversation, but he was not about to start asking questions right now.  
  
Naruto was tugging at Hidan, lifting him up against the wall when he heard Sasuke yell out in warning. Kakuzu has gotten to his feet again, and wasted no time rushing towards Naruto. Naruto just managed to drop his grip on Hidan and dodge the fist that was aimed at his head.  
  
The fight was rough and ugly, punches and kicks flying between the four of them. Naruto was desperately trying to keep the beast within under control, but it had gotten a taste of violence, and it was hard not to let it take control completely. It would be so easy to just give in, to let it finally roam free. The power it was lending him was substantial, and it was a mere taste of what it could truly bring him.  
  
Naruto saw Sasuke send a powerful kick directly at Hidan's chest, sending the silver-haired man flying backwards. Then there was a flash of metal as Hidan's hands locked around his forgotten blade, having found it on the ground where it had landed earlier. He moved fast, too fast, and Sasuke was busy trying to fend off a new attack by Kakuzu. He wouldn’t see it in time, wouldn’t be able to get away!  
  
Naruto's instincts took over, or was it possibly the instincts of the beast within? One moment he was standing on the pavement, watching in horror as Hidan leapt to his feet and moved in, the next he was flying through the air, jaws snapping shut around a neck, tearing through skin and flesh and arteries. The sticky, metallic taste of blood filled his mouth.  
  
He lost himself for a moment in that taste, and when he fought back some control he was aware of Sasuke shaking him.  
  
With great effort he pried his jaws open and backed away from Hidan, not wanting to look at him, knowing he would be a mess, that he'd be either dead or dying, all because of him.  
  
Staring blankly into the air he became aware of the sound of sirens approaching, and then Kakuzu was pulling Hidan into his arms and running, and neither Naruto or Sasuke could really muster up the energy to take chase. Naruto was shaking by now. The beast was subdued again, and suddenly he was left feeling completely empty and cold as his energy drained away. He'd been going on pure adrenaline, and now he was completely spent.  
  
He was aware of Sasuke pulling out his phone and making a call, telling Kakashi of what had happened, keeping it short and leaving out most of it. He told him that they had been attacked by two assailants of unknown background, that the fight had ended with one assailant dead, but that the body had been removed. There was no mentioning of Naruto's shift, nor of the conversation between Hidan and Sasuke.  
  
Naruto twisted his head, looking at his partner. He had a few bruises, and looked decidedly worse for wear with messy hair and dirt on his face. His neck was marred by a thin line of red where the knife had cut his skin, but the marks looked superficial, nothing some light bandages wouldn’t take care of. Naruto knew he was no worse off physically, but he was so tired he could barely think straight.  
  
He knew that Kakuzu would need to be dealt with, but that was a job for the local DPA branch now. Sasuke and he had completed their mission, they had gotten the blood they had been sent here for, so now they could finally go home. Naruto had no idea what would await them there, but he didn’t worry about that now, that would come later.  
  
Ending the phone call Sasuke gingerly sat down next to Naruto as they waited for the police to arrive.  
  
Naruto lifted a hand, noting that he could almost control the shaking as he brushed Sasuke's messy bangs out of his eyes. He offered him a small smile. He could deal with having lost control, as long as it meant Sasuke was safe. Dark eyes connected with blue.  
  
"You stayed," Sasuke said, voice solemn.  
  
"Of course I stayed, bastard."


	12. Chapter 12

Sasuke rewrapped the wrappings around his hand, making sure that they were nice and tight before he turned back towards the punching bag. His hand struck, hitting the bag with deadly accuracy in a right hook. Using the momentum of the punch he spun his body, leg sweeping up to connect with the bag as well.

The sounds of flesh hitting the bag echoed through the otherwise empty room as he kept dealing out kicks and punches. He'd been here for almost an hour already, starting with a 45 minute run on the treadmill before moving on to the punching bag. He was trying desperately to shut his mind off by exhausting it, but so far he was failing miserably.

Four days had passed since the meeting with Hidan and Kakuzu, four days where his mind had been constantly going over the words Hidan had spoken.

"See, we used to work with someone you know."

Another precise kick to the bag as Sasuke's mind was flooded with images of Itachi. He had been searching for his big brother for years already, both hoping and dreading that he was still alive. Now it seemed like he had proof that he was, and he was after Sasuke. He had been waiting for this for years, waited for his brother to come for him, to finish what he started.

"Get rid of him and I will take you to Itachi, you can talk to him all you want."

He'd been searching for years, and in the end it would be this easy? To just follow Hidan and Kakuzu back to Itachi. They could go there, and then finally Sasuke could get the revenge he was yearning for. But no, that train was long passed now. Hidan was dead and Kakuzu was vanished off the face of the earth, the only connection Sasuke had to his brother gone.

Face twisting into a contemptful sneer Sasuke punched over and over again, wishing it was Itachi he was hitting, wishing he could see his brother broken and bleeding at his hands, just like…

Images of coming home that day all those years ago, seeing his parents broken and bleeding on the floor still haunted Sasuke, would probably never go away. The dead eyes of his father looking up at him, forever set in a look of absolute fear.

Sasuke had been too shocked to scream, had just stared at what had once been his family in absolute horror when Itachi had stepped out of the shadows.

Itachi, the beloved big brother, the golden child of the Uchiha clan. Destined to take over the family business, to bring glory to his family. Beautiful and brilliant, Sasuke had idolized him, wanting to be just like his dear brother.

The monster that came out of the shadows that day looked like his brother, talked like his brother, but the brother who adored his little Sasuke was dead. Eyes that had once been a warm chocolate were now red, soft smile was now a vicious grin, pale skin were now sticky with the spilled blood of their parents.

Oh, Sasuke knew about vampires, they'd learned about them in school, but nothing could have prepared him for the anguish of seeing his brother having become a demon. He was completely frozen in terror as the demon in Itachi's body walked closer, stooping down so his face was directly across from Sasuke's.

"Sasuke," he'd said, voice still the silky voice of his brother. "It's only the two of us left now, baby brother. Get strong, and then come find me. I will be waiting."

Sasuke hated how he had reacted, staring at the husk that had once been his brother, tears welling in his eyes, unable to do anything as Itachi poked at his forehead just like he had always done before turning around and leaving Sasuke standing alone in the carnage.

The police had found him that way, standing by the bodies of his parents, eyes glassy as they stared towards the door Itachi had left, a bloody streak down his forehead from where Itachi had touched him that one last time.

Sasuke couldn’t help the scream that tore through his throat as his fists rained down on the punching bag, willing the painful memories to just vanish. He couldn’t take the pain any longer. He had been so weak, hadn’t been able to protect his parents, hadn’t been able to protect Itachi from the vampire who had killed him and left his body for some demon to occupy. The thought of Itachi still being out there somewhere, some filthy demon using his body, his memories, his face for evil, it hurt somewhere deep inside, made his chest constrict with pain. The death of his parents Sasuke could get over, but the fact that his brother was dead, but he had no body to bury, it ached in a way he knew would always torment him until he could get his vengeance.

His brother had died the moment the vampire had drained his blood, the thing that walked around wasn’t his brother, but he was still going to kill it. Kill it and bury it and give Itachi the peace he had deserved. Itachi had been good, he didn’t deserve this.

Tears stung in Sasuke's eyes, and he angrily brushed them away. He hadn’t cried once since that first day, had worked hard to become strong. Emotions got in the way, they were the reason he had frozen the day his parents died. He should have been strong enough to kill Itachi then, to end his suffering, but he had allowed the demon to walk away with his brother's body, and he could never forgive himself for that.

His sole purpose in life had been to hunt him down. He had become an agent to get access to resources that would aid him in the hunt, and in the meanwhile he took great pleasure in hunting down those like Itachi, sending them back to the hell from whence they came.

Itachi had seemingly vanished from the face of the earth almost immediately after having murdered his parents, only a few reports every now and then claiming he had been seen. The demon was strong, was old, smart enough not to get caught, smart enough to hide in the shadows.

Sasuke had always known it would be waiting for him, just like he had promised. So Sasuke got stronger, he got better, and he waited. And now he had suddenly been close. Hidan and Kakuzu a clear link to his brother, and he had let them escape.

He had ensured that the Las Vegas branch of the DPA scoured the city for any trace of Kakuzu. He needed him to be found, needed to use him to get to Itachi. At the time he had been too busy with the whole staying alive and being completely shocked to actually get any information worth damned. He should have apprehended Kakuzu, shouldn't have let him vanish, should have…

He knew that Itachi was out there now, without a doubt, and he knew that he had to find him, had to stop him. He couldn’t even imagine how many people the demon had murdered through the years, using Itachi's body to maim and kill, somehow managing to stay underneath the radar.

He attacked the punching bag over and over again, until his knuckles cracked under the wrappings and his feet were so sore he could barely stand on them. Only then did he stop and fall to the ground.

There was something else tormenting him, something else he couldn’t get his mind to stop thinking about, a distraction from his search for vengeance, a distraction that affected him more and more however much he fought it. Naruto Uzumaki.

He tried so hard to hate him, but he found it harder and harder by the day. He didn’t know what it was about the blond that cracked open all his shields, but he was pounding down wall by wall, never letting Sasuke retreat back into the carefully constructed bomb shelter he had erected around himself. No one had gotten this close to him since he was a kid; no one affected him like Naruto. That last day in the club had just cemented it for him. He could not keep his hands off the blond; his body ached for his touch, longed for it. He didn’t know what these feelings were, but they were powerful. He wanted Naruto like he had never wanted anyone or anything in his life.

But he couldn’t allow himself to get distracted, couldn’t allow Naruto to crack through his final defences, because he was afraid what might happen then. He didn’t think he would stop even if he got to fuck Naruto, he would always want more. It wasn’t something as simple as passion or lust, it was something much deeper.

Pushing off the floor he stumbled towards the shower, his feet aching for every step. He desperately tried to clear his mind. He needed to find his focus again, needed to see the road he had laid for himself and not veer away from it.

The water was warm against his shoulders, and he hung his head, allowing the water to cascade down his back as he braced himself against the bricks of the shower. The water felt good against his body, but it did nothing to ease his mind.

It kept circling back to Naruto. How Naruto had defended him, unwilling to leave when he had the chance, how he had looked as he started shifting, his blue eyes filling with a vicious red, lips tearing away from his teeth as fangs suddenly filled his mouth. He had looked… deadly. Sasuke didn’t know how someone like Naruto could have so much raw power in his body, and for a moment he had actually feared what he might do.

Sasuke had seen shifters turn into animals before, but nothing like that. This had been intense, raw, power surging through the air. He could see Naruto fighting with himself, not wanting to change, and apparently managing to get enough control to stop before the shift went too far. No normal shifters could do that. They just became a version of the animal they were, fluidly running from one form to the next. With Naruto it had seemed like a fight for dominance.

No way was Naruto an ordinary shifter, he was something unique, something Sasuke hadn’t heard about before. Naruto hadn’t said anything about it before or after though, and Sasuke had too much other shit on his mind to start prying. There were a lot of various subspecies of preternatural beings out there; maybe Naruto was some local variety of shifters.

Naruto… Sasuke had thought he knew exactly the type he was dealing with the first time he saw him. Rookie fresh out of training, eager to work but completely unprepared for what that might entail. He had been sure Naruto would quit by the end of the first week, not strong enough to deal. The blond had shown that he had a backbone however, and he held his own in a fight.

Naruto managed to get Sasuke like no one else, pushed him until he snapped. Wormed himself behind shields and made Sasuke unsure of where he had the blond, unsure of how he would react anymore. Then the club, the pure waves of lusts that had torn through him as he danced with Naruto. How hard he had gotten when pressed up against his warm body, how exhilarating it felt when he rubbed against Naruto and realised he was just as hard. Warm lips against his own, hands tracing down his body, erection digging into his ass. Fuck, Naruto was either the most talented actor in the world, or he wanted Sasuke as well, and that just made this that more complicated. He wanted Naruto bad, and just the thought that if he initiated something Naruto wouldn’t back down but throw himself into it with the passion and enthusiasm he seemed to throw into anything he did exhilarated Sasuke. It would be glorious, and earthshattering, and it would complicate things all too much.

Sasuke groaned when he realised he had become hard just thinking of Naruto, his dick caring little for what mental anguish he was going through, begging for attention.

Unable to stop himself Sasuke let a hand drift down his body, fingers teasing across his length before closing around it. He tugged, and knew this would be over in a heartbeat.

Images of Naruto half-naked, of him dressed in that delicious little leather shorts, of his smile and his eyes filled with lust flashed across Sasuke's mind as his hand worked at his length, tightening until it was almost painful. How he wanted it to be Naruto touching him right now, how he wanted to drop down to his knees in front of Naruto and suck his cock into his mouth until he came deep down his throat. How he wanted to tear off his clothes and fuck him hard or to let Naruto fuck him until he passed out. He wanted to feel Naruto's body pressed against him, nothing between their naked bodies, cocks pressing together. Wanted strong hands to bruise his body as a hard cock pounded into him, wanted to watch as his own dick pressed into Naruto's ass, filling him completely. Oh, how he wanted…

Sasuke yelled when he came, ribbons of come painting the white tiles with thick streaks, legs growing week as he fell to the floor, completely spent.

***

Naruto abused the remote control as he zapped through the channels, finding nothing to distract himself with. It was all commercials and sports and reality shows. Conceding defeat he turned the TV off and threw the remote onto the coffee table, pulling his knees to his chest as he stared out the window instead. He had a lovely view of the brick wall of the building opposite his, but right now he didn’t care, his mind was too busy spinning wildly.

The Las Vegas mission had gone to hell in an instant. It had been going completely according to plan, apart from the whole lusting-for-Sasuke bit, they had gotten what they came there for, and Naruto had no other thoughts apart from trying to decide whether it was all an act or if Sasuke was indeed just as turned on as Naruto was when everything had turned sour.

He still had no idea who Hidan and Kakuzu were, the department had no information on either of them, and Naruto hadn’t seen Sasuke since the incident apart from when they were surrounded of their co-workers or police or in the ER, so he hadn’t been able to ask him about Itachi. He'd been contemplating going to Kakashi, but he wanted to talk to Sasuke first, wanted him to have the opportunity to explain things.

Itachi was obviously someone he knew, he had reacted harshly to the mentioning of the name. And judging by the guys he was apparently working with Itachi was not a good guy. But what Sasuke was doing dealing with the bad side of the supernatural world Naruto had no idea.

Eyeing his computer he got a sudden idea. He could always use google. To be honest he knew very little of Sasuke and his background, maybe he would be able to understand his partner better if he knew.

He felt a little guilty as he opened the browser. Maybe this was something he should let Sasuke tell him when he felt ready? But in the end curiosity, and the fear that Sasuke wouldn't tell him but do something stupid alone won, and Naruto found himself typing the words Sasuke Uchiha and Itachi into the search bar. His eyes widened in horror as the first page popped up. A news article, dating back almost twenty years.

Young boy sole survivor of massacre.

Naruto's eyes watered when he read on, finally understanding just why Sasuke was so damned complicated.

In a way their backgrounds were similar, both were orphaned by a supernatural being, but there was a great difference as well. Naruto had been a baby, and had no memories of it at all. Sasuke had been a kid, grown enough to remember everything. God, finding your parents like that; he couldn't imagine the nightmares that would come with that.

Further on in the article there was a note that explained all too much.

Eldest son, Itachi Uchiha has been missing ever since the massacre, suspected vampire turning.

Itachi was his brother? A brother that had been turned into a vampire. By the same vampire that slaughtered Sasuke's parents? Or..?

Naruto's eyes widened in horror when he realised what had most likely happened. If Itachi had been turned he would have been dormant for a full day before being able to go anywhere, but Sasuke's parents hadn’t been dead more than a few hours when they had been found, which meant…

"Oh, Sasuke, you are in trouble aren’t you?" he muttered to himself.

***

Kakuzu growled to himself as he pushed the thread through the eye of the needle. He couldn’t believe he had to do this again; he was getting sick and tired of always being the one to fix everything.

The light in the kitchen was flickering slightly, but illuminated the grisly scene in front of him well enough. He'd dumped Hidan on the kitchen table, and now the silver-haired man was laying there, neck gaping, eyes staring blankly at the dirty ceiling of the abandoned house on the outskirts of Las Vegas that they had broken into and taken for their own a few weeks ago.

Leaning over his partner Kakuzu poked the needle through a flap of skin, pulling the edges of the wound together and pushing it through the adjacent part of skin, quickly tying it off. The wound was a mess, and he wasn’t sure how well he'd be able to patch him up, but all he really needed was to make sure the guy could breathe again. Although he would prefer it he somehow could ensure the guy wouldn’t be able to talk he didn’t think that was a possibility.

He moved the needle to another part of skin, pressing the tip against the skin until it gave in and it slid through the flesh, meaning he could tie off another stitch. This was going to take all night to complete.

Hours later Kakuzu tied off the final stitch. Hidan's neck was a mess of stitches and wounds, and Kakuzu hadn’t cared enough to pay any mind to making anything look neat. The scars would only serve as a remainder for Hidan not to be so careless.

Leaving his dead partner lying on the table Kakuzu walked over to the sink, washing off his hands before then grabbing a small box he had in a pocket in his coat. Opening it he took out a syringe and a small vial of a thick, purple liquid. Stabbing the needle of the syringe through the cap of the vial he drew the liquid into the syringe, tapped at it a couple of times to get rid of any air bubbles and then unceremoniously he stabbed the needle into the side of Hidan's neck, pushing at the plunger, sending the liquid flowing into Hidan's artery. Then he disposed of the syringe and waited.

A minute later Hidan's body lurched off the table as if he'd been electrocuted. Eyes blinked as his head snapped this way and that, trying to get his bearings. Coming back to life could be a bit… disorienting at times. Kakuzu should know, he'd done the same before.

It took Hidan another few moments to get his body and mind functioning.

"Fucking hell, Kakuzu!" he yelled. So, his vocal cords definitely worked then. Too bad.

Hidan had stumbled over to a cracked mirror hanging in the hallway and was currently twisting in front of it, glaring at the nasty web of scars decorating his neck.

"What the hell, couldn’t you at least tried to make it look fucking nice or something?"

"Maybe you shouldn’t have let a filthy shifter overpower you then," Kakuzu growled.

"Shithead," Hidan muttered, walking back into the kitchen.

"If you hadn’t been so rash we wouldn’t have ended up in that situation, and we'd still be able to keep up the operation. You know we needed to get that incubus blood back; getting a hold of Sasuke was just bonus. Now we have neither."

"Screw that operation. I was getting tired of it anyways. Dealing in incubus blood was fucking boring. I want to kill something again."

"Dealing in incubus blood was damned good money, Hidan."

Hidan turned towards Kakuzu with a sneer on his face.

"I don't care about money, dick head. I want to find the bastard that did this to me, and I want to tear his throat out. Look at these scars!"

"Let's just track down Itachi. He'll flay you alive and leave you like that if you kill Sasuke. I'm sure he won't mind any other causalities that… might occur though," Kakuzu said, hoping the promise of blood spill would settle Hidan down for a while. Hidan was such a bothersome partner to have, really. They'd had it good in Las Vegas, having a pretty stable income for once. Money was good, money was trustworthy. Why ever Hidan would rather have bloodshed he had no idea, but their blood selling business was already ruined, so they might as well go to Itachi, he might pay them for information on Sasuke.

Hidan's scowl transformed to a grin.


	13. Chapter 13

Naruto supressed a yawn as he walked into the office, noting that Sasuke's computer was on, but the raven was nowhere to be seen. It had been a week since their Las Vegas mission, and things were as back to normal as they would get in this job. He had tried talking to Sasuke, but had been violently shut down whenever he brought it up, so he had let that topic drift for now, hoping Sasuke would open up to him eventually. Naruto had decided not to mention what he had learned through his googling. He felt like he had intruded on Sasuke's private life, and would rather Sasuke bring it up on his own.

He was still contemplating going to Kakashi to confess what he knew, but he didn’t want to betray Sasuke's trust, afraid it would shatter everything between them.

Not that he really knew what was between them anymore. Ever since they came back from Las Vegas Sasuke had been distant, barely talking to Naruto, keeping to himself. When they were allowed back in the field they worked flawlessly together as a team, but still didn’t talk. Naruto was aching to get answers to his questions, but Sasuke could be stubborn and secretive, and it would take a miracle to get him to open up.

Naruto was more unsure than ever when it came to where he had Sasuke. There had been so much heat between them back at the club, but they hadn’t touched once since coming back, not even as much as an accidental touch during hunting. Naruto was starting to believe maybe he had imagined the lust between them, that Sasuke had really just been acting all along, that the heated kiss in The Cage had just been to drawn in the incubus. It… hurt if Naruto was to be honest with himself. It hadn’t been acting on his part, and when he thought Sasuke hadn’t meant anything about it at all he felt… sort of hollow.

It was becoming apparent that Naruto had more than professional feelings towards his co-worker. He found himself thinking about him constantly, imagining what it would be like to get him naked and hard underneath him. He had lost count of the times he had jerked off with images of the raven on his mind.

He was doing a good job of hiding his feelings though, no one seemed to notice that he lusted for Sasuke, least of all Sasuke himself. Besides, it wasn't as if he hadn’t other issues to deal with. He'd woken up most nights with a scream. He'd had reoccurring nightmares ever since their meeting with Hidan and Kakuzu. He didn't so much have a problem with having killed Hidan, his job was pretty much an executioner after all, and the others had attacked first. No, his nightmares came from the way he had killed Hidan. He had lost control over the beast within, and hadn’t been able to stop himself.

And in that first split-second when Sasuke had pulled him away from Hidan he had wanted to attack Sasuke as well. The beast didn’t see any different between friend or enemy, and if Naruto hadn't gotten control again he could have easily done to Sasuke what he had done to Hidan, and that thought terrified him. His dreams weren’t Hidan's death, they were Sasuke's death, at his hands. Naruto shuddered and squashed those thoughts. He had enough problems with them plaguing him when he was sleeping, he didn’t need them while he was awake. He had his beast thoroughly chained up again, he wouldn’t slip up.

Kiba noticed that Naruto had come into the office and strode over, plunking down on his desk, starting an anecdote about his dog Akamaru. Naruto welcomed the distraction, thoughts of his partner and bad dreams pushed to the back of his mind as he listened, a smile widening on his lips. Apart from nearly getting killed, and all this stuff with Sasuke Naruto was really loving his job and his co-workers. Kiba and he were talking a lot, and Naruto found that he liked the brunet loads. They had the same sense of humour, and Kiba was just so… laid-back. No deep emotional past haunting him, and it was pleasant.

"So, anyways, most of the others guys and I are heading out for drinks later on, wanna come with? It'll just be down at the local bar, no biggie, just to kickback a little," Kiba finally asked when he had exhausted the topic of his dog for the day.

"Sure, if I'm not too exhausted from work I'll come with."

Kiba slid off the desk, happy with Naruto's answer before heading over to Kankuro. They were heading out, patrolling downtown for any rogue vampires. Seeing how it was Sunday, and the streets would be packed there was a great chance they'd find one or two.

Naruto wondered what mission he'd be sent on, but he hadn’t gotten any mission directive in his inbox yet, so nothing to do but wait and finish his rapport from yesterday. He figured maybe Sasuke was talking to Kakashi and that was why he was absent.

Less than ten minutes later the door to Kakashi's office opened, and Sasuke walked out, looking just as he used to, like he had a stick shoved up his ass.

Oh, I wish it'd be my cock instead, Naruto mused, before catching himself and pushing those thoughts away. He did not need to be sporting a hard on while working.

"We're heading out," Sasuke simply stated as he brushed past Naruto's desk, not even stopping to wait as Naruto scrambled to put away his report and follow. The elevator doors dinged shut before he reached them, and Naruto had a sudden feeling he was right back at day one.

***

Sasuke heard the doors to the stairwell slam open just as he exited the door, silently happy Naruto had been quick, or else he just would have gone on without him. He was working damned hard on keeping his distance to the blond, but it was hard when all his libido wanted was to close that distance and crash their bodies together.

Grimacing at the way his mind once again betrayed him by going right back down that lane he opened the car door and together they set of into the busy night. Kakashi didn’t have a specific target for them tonight, so they had gotten a quadrant to patrol. Sasuke really hoped they would find something to kill, his hands were aching to get rid of some tension with a sharp blade and a fragile body. Whenever he killed a vampire he was imagining the face of Itachi, and although sometimes made him hesitate just a millisecond it felt good the moment he went through with the motion.

He hated the fact that the demon had forever destroyed the image of Itachi for him. When he was young Itachi's face stood for everything good in the world, soft eyes and teasing smile, but now that image was contorted into something demonic. He was finding it harder and harder to remember the true Itachi, the one who had been his big brother. He found more and more that when he tried picturing his face he saw the demon drenched in blood, not the big brother who used to carry him on his shoulders.

Driving out of the garage complex he was glad Naruto kept his mouth shut. He really wasn’t in a talkative mood right now. He just ached to finally get to feel his katana carve through a vampire again, wanting to see the way their body slowly turned to dust, the demon dead, and the body at rest.

They parked the Lexus in a parking lot by a McDonalds that claimed to be open twenty-four seven. The restaurant was located right by campus for the local college, and would be a good starting point. The college was big, thousands of students, most living in dorms spread around the area, a large park the centre of it all. The park was a known hangout spot for lovers and those who had more shady affairs, which also made it a prime feeding spot for vampires. There had been several recorded attacks here before, but somehow that wasn’t enough to scare the students away. Somehow they always seemed to think nothing would happen to them. The folly of youth, Sasuke mused. Sure, he was still in his twenties, but he'd never been as stupid as must others his age. He'd never go somewhere like this, without a blade or a gun that was. He knew better than to think he was invincible, so he worked hard to become as close to invincible he could.

He strapped his katana to his hip, his hand resting on the hilt as he set off towards the park, deciding the they'd make a couple of rounds there before heading towards the dormitories.

Fighting vampires was not a precise art. They were all individuals, which meant they were unpredictable. Some vampires preferred to lure people home, some would lure themselves into other people's homes, some were more reckless, feeding wherever and whenever. It was the latter Sasuke and the rest of the department got the most kills from. The others were more difficult, as they couldn’t know where or when a vampire would strike.

That’s why they had own departments dedicated solely to gathering intelligence. They'd track vampires, and when they found them they would call in Unit Seven to dispose of them. But it was days between each time they had someone specific to hunt, so then they'd patrol. Most days that just meant a whole lot of walking, some days it meant getting in a kill or two.

Sasuke was peering around himself as they entered the darkened park, the streetlights running down the main path doing a poor job of lighting all the dark corners between trees and bushes.

One good thing about vampires was their one distinct visual trait: their red eyes. Normal humans didn’t have red eyes, so whenever there were a flash of red from deep shadows, it was a good guess it'd be a vampire. Other species had odd coloured eyes as well: some shifters would have yellow eyes, and some fey would have silver. Then there were Hidan, with his violet eyes, Sasuke had no idea what he was, and neither did any of his contacts. Then there was Naruto… he'd had red eyes as well when he started shifting. Sasuke really didn’t know what that would mean. Foxes didn’t have red eyes, so neither should Naruto have. Was Naruto lying to them? No, that couldn’t be it. The department would have been sure to do all kinds of tests before letting him work with them, so if they said Naruto was as a fox, then he should be a fox. Something wasn’t quite right though, but Sasuke didn’t know how to broach the subject, particularly when he was trying too hard to not talk to the blond at all.

Sasuke turned his head and saw Naruto walking a step behind him to his right. He noticed Sasuke watching and responded with one of those huge grins he seemed to favour. Sasuke wasn’t quite sure how Naruto's lips even extended that far, and how it was possible to show that many teeth in one smile.

Not giving him the satisfaction of a smile in return Sasuke turned to survey their surroundings again. He was not going to let Naruto distract him from his goal, not now that he was closer than ever. The confirmation that Itachi was still alive had only furthered his determination to work harder than ever. Before he had worked on the hunch that he would still be around, it wasn’t like he could know if he had been killed by some other vampire, or a civilian or a department in another country, but now he knew. Knew he was alive, knew that he was likely to still be in the country, and that was enough to stir the flames of vengeance in his chest.

He had contacted all of the contacts he had gathered through the years in hope that someone would be able to help him, now that he had two other names and faces to search for as well. If he could find either Kakuzu or Hidan maybe he could find his brother too. And when he did his katana would put his body to rest.

Sasuke wasn’t stupid, he knew getting his vengeance wouldn’t make anything right. Itachi was dead, wiped off the world, the moment his last breath had left his lips. Sasuke didn’t believe in something as silly as souls, there were no scientific reasons to do so. When you died, you died, and in some cases a demon just decided to use your corpse for its own nefarious purposes. He had no silly dreams of Itachi sitting in heaven, cheering for Sasuke to take revenge for his untimely death, nor did he think killing his brother would make him feel any better. He was broken inside, and nothing would ever fix that, so he would just devote his life to cleanse this world of the scourge that was vampires, and maybe somewhere along the road that would mean someone else would not be broken like him, and that was good enough for Sasuke.

Hearing something stirring in the bushes of the side of the path he looked back at Naruto, nodded in the direction and started towards it. Naruto looped around, making sure they boxed in whatever it was. Using his sheathed katana to push a gap in the bushes Sasuke took a step back, disgust marring his features. That was… not a vampire at all. Rather two very inebriated students participating in very sloppy, drunken sex.

He was about to warn Naruto when the blond stepped into the clearing the two lovers occupied, and immediately got a good eyeful. His eyes bugged, the two on the ground shrieked, and chaos ensued. Naruto tried to jump back into the bushes to hide, but stumbled on a root, falling hard on his ass. The two lovers tried to get their clothes on while shouting obscenities on Naruto, and Sasuke did his best to fade into the shadows before anyone saw him. A smirk tugged at his lips as he saw a shoe fly through the air, connecting heavily with Naruto's forehead.

Not before the two drunkards had left in a hurry to continue their fornication elsewhere did Sasuke step back into the clearing.

"The fuck just happened?" Naruto said, rubbing at his forehead where a red mark showed exactly where the shoe had connected.

"Well, you made a mess of things," Sasuke said back, smirk gone for a condescending look he had worked hard to perfect. Naruto's brow furrowed in obvious annoyance.

"I'm not the one who thought it was appropriate to dive into the bushes to scare them up," he shot back.

"No, but I'm not the one who stomped in like a rhinoceros either. Hear about stealth?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "I thought there'd be more bushes."

"Well, you thought wrong," Sasuke said, turning around to head towards the path again. So there hadn’t been vampires in the bushes, but maybe now the two they'd stumbled upon would find a safer place to hook up, rather in the middle of a dark park. Fucking stupid kids.

Sasuke felt something hit his back and he spun around, and saw a pine cone on the ground. Another were firmly clenched in Naruto's hand, giving off where the first one had come from quite clearly, especially when he tossed the second at Sasuke as well. Sasuke was too taken back to react and let it hit with a little thump right on his thigh. It didn’t hurt, but it still pissed Sasuke off. Why the hell was Naruto throwing pinecones at him?

Another one flew at him, but he sidestepped, allowing the missile to land harmlessly in the bushes.

"What the hell are you doing?!" he hissed at Naruto.

"Throwing stuff at you," Naruto deadpanned as he reached for another. The ground around him was littered with the little buggers, and being still seated on his ass he had easy access. Another flew through the air, Sasuke just barely avoiding it by ducking.

God, was the guy five years old? Who the hell threw stuff when they were angry at someone?

"Stop it," Sasuke said, putting on his most menacing tone.

"Not before your stop being an asshole."

Another pinecone came flying at him.

"Good luck with that, not going to happen." Sasuke knew he came off as an asshole, and truth be told he preferred to be viewed as one. It was a lot easier to avoid people when they hated him.

"Why. Do. You. Hate. Me," Naruto said, a new pine cone accentuating at every word.

"I don't fucking hate you, Naruto," Sasuke shot back, surprising himself just as much as Naruto with the words that were coming out of his mind. Apparently being pummelled made his mouth run away from him. He wanted Naruto to think he didn’t like him, didn’t he? Wasn’t that what he had worked hard on since Las Vegas? Heck, he'd been working on scaring Naruto away ever since he first saw him, but he was failing miserably, of course he'd fail with this too.

"Then why are you being such a shithead?" Naruto asked, a pine cone in his hand, apparently waiting for an answer to see if it deserved another throw or not.

"Because I just am. I'm an asshole. Emotionless. A cold bastard. A robot. A shithead and a jerk." Sasuke listed up some of the words usually associated with him. He had worked hard to maintain the way people thought of him. He'd honed his skill ever since junior high when he had noticed the girls starting to flock around him, drawn to the apparent good looks he possessed. He had hated the shallowness behind that action, hadn’t wanted the attention, wanted to be left alone, so he became this new person: Sasuke Uchiha, resident asshole. He had perfected the art through the years, and Naruto was one of few people who seemed oblivious to it. Him and Kakashi. Kakashi apparently saw right through Sasuke's act, and just smiled whenever Sasuke tried to piss him off.

He had no problem pissing off Naruto, but no matter how angry he got the blond the blond acted like others hadn’t, he stayed. Nothing seemed to scare the blond away, and it was actually quite baffling.

"Is that really what you think, or is it what you want other people to think?" Naruto said, voice deceptively calm. Sasuke was pretty sure it would take very little to get him infuriated again.

"It's all people think I am."

"Because that's what you want them to think," Naruto said, finally getting to his feet, hands brushing off the dirt that clung to his ass, a single pine cone still in his hand, threatening to be tossed at Sasuke.

Sasuke didn’t know what to say, so he didn’t say anything. Naruto always seemed like a bit of a ditz with his goofy grin, but apparently he managed to see right through Sasuke, piercing through his shields with deadly accuracy.

Sasuke was racking his brain for something to say to make Naruto just get that he needed to be alone, that he couldn’t have people around, that the distraction just…

The insistent buzzing that suddenly erupted from his pocket stopped that train of thought, and he quickly pulled out his cell, noting that it was Kakashi calling before he lifted the phone to his ear.

***

 

Naruto was still clutching his last pinecone, still not sure whether he should toss it at Sasuke or not. The raven was so aggravating, and although it was childish, Naruto had felt very satisfied when he started throwing them.

He was sure most people would have given up trying to get through to Sasuke long ago, but Naruto wasn’t most people. He knew there were more to Sasuke than his icy façade, and he had seen it peek through in a way he didn’t think many had. He could not believe Sasuke hadn’t felt just a little bit of lust at least back in Vegas, and he knew Sasuke cared for him, at least a little, even though he didn’t seem to know it himself, yet. The way he had reacted after Naruto had been attacked by the vampire was not the way someone who didn’t give a damned reacted. And Naruto longed to see the true Sasuke, the one with actual emotions and reactions. He knew there were heat behind the ice, he had felt that when they were kissing, in his touch as he danced with Naruto. He wanted to crack through the shields, and he was thinking maybe lust was the way to do it. Sasuke seemed… almost frightened at the prospect of getting attached to someone, but lust could be such a heady feeling, one it was hard to battle. And maybe if he could get him to lust after him he could get him to love him?

Naruto froze. What had he just been thinking? Love him? Where the hell had that come from? Naruto just wanted to help him, like a friend. It wasn’t like he loved Sasuke, he couldn’t. Lust after him sure, but love? No, that just wasn’t possible, not so quickly.

Luckily Sasuke's phone rang before he had to take those thoughts any further. The conversation was short, and soon they were running. Apparently there were a vampire attack in progress, and Sasuke and Naruto were the team closest to the scene. They didn’t have a second to spare if they wanted to save lives.

Arguments and feelings were pushed to the backseat as the two partners fell back into hunt mode. They had a job to do, and they couldn’t afford being distracted by feelings right now. Naruto would just have to deal with that later.

Their boots slammed against pavement as they ran through the park, exiting on the other side and heading down the street towards a sorority house close by. A 911 call had come from the house a few minutes ago, a girl saying a vampire had killed her roomie.

The house was deathly silent when they approached it. Naruto feared they would be too late, but they spared no time running up the porch and silently opening the front door. The entrance hall was dark, but not so much so that they couldn’t make out where they were going. Quickly and efficiently they made their way through the downstairs floor. Kitchen was clear, so was the bathroom.

They stepped into the final room on the floor, and almost stumbled upon a girl lying on the floor, neck torn out, blonde hair stained red by blood, blue eyes glassy at they stared vacantly at them. Naruto quickly got to his knees, pressing his fingers to the side of her neck still relatively whole to feel for a pulse, even though he knew there would be none.

Surveying the room they saw another girl lying on the couch, arm dangling over the armrest. Her skin was paper white, completely drained of blood, just a few drops running from twin puncture marks in her neck left. She would probably have been the first victim, the vampire having the time to restrain her and drain her calmly. Maybe the blonde had come in as he was finishing, and he'd torn her neck out in a rage.

Naruto and Sasuke quickly headed for the stairs. They would deal with the girls later on, ensuring that their bodies wouldn’t rise again, but for now it was imperative that they found and took down the killer.

Silently they ran up the stairs, Naruto with his gun, Sasuke with his katana. There was a single lamp on in the hallway, showing off blood marks on the carpeted floor. They lead towards an open door, which turned out to be a bedroom. Two beds stood on opposite ends of the room, and the walls were covered in pictures, most likely the inhabitants of the room and their friends. A mass of smiling faces peered at them from the walls, oblivious to the girl lying on one bed, neck bent at an unnatural angle. The vampire had clearly settled with breaking her neck, as there were no puncture marks. The demon was probably saving her for later, already full on the two girls downstairs.

A sudden shriek had Naruto and Sasuke spring into action. They leapt back into the hallway, taking their spots in front of two closed door, and kicking them down. Naruto's room was empty, so he snapped around and saw Sasuke leap into another bedroom, katana swinging. Naruto pushed his legs to follow him.

There was a male figure in the bedroom, clothes drenched in blood, eyes shining a violent red. He had been clawing at another door inside the bedroom, probably a closet or a bathroom when Sasuke came bursting into the room. Naruto just had time to see the blade slice through an arm, the vampire dodging fast enough to move away from the otherwise lethal blow.

He hissed in pain as the katana dug into his muscle and crouched, powerful legs pushing him into a leap directed right at Sasuke. Naruto lifted his gun, but his partner was in the way and he couldn’t get a clear shot.

The vampire was too close for Sasuke to swing his blade, and he thrust his shoulder out instead, taking the vampire in the side, sending him flying into a wall. Naruto had the vampire in his target when he felt something connect hard with his back, sending him tumbling to the floor. He turned his body as he fell, just in time to see another vampire standing in the doorway. Fuck! They'd been smart enough to work in a pair, and Naruto hadn’t been paying enough attention and allowed one of the demons to sneak up on him. Not only that, as he fell he had lost his grip on his gun, and now it skidded along the floor, sliding underneath a bed, far from his reach.

He heard something slam into the wall on the other side of the room, and tore his eyes away from the vampire in the doorway for a moment to see the first vampire hit the wall again, hard enough to crack the plaster, as Sasuke had retorted to a good old-fashioned kick to get him away.

There was a snarl, and then vampire number two focused on Naruto. Adrenaline was rushing through Naruto, filling his veins, honing his attention on the one attacker still left standing. He felt a stirring in his gut, the beast growling, ready for a new fight. Without a gun Naruto was vulnerable, but the beast could see to that, the beast was a weapon of its own. The beast was strong. Naruto clenched his fists, the tendons in his neck straining as he clenched his jaw shut, willing the beast back into the chasm he lived in. He couldn’t, wouldn’t. It wasn’t safe. Naruto was good enough without the beast, Naruto didn’t need it, didn’t want it. As the vampire started for him Naruto dug his hands into his pocket, searching for another weapon to use, but before he came that far Sasuke leapt through the air, bringing his katana down in a lethal arch, neatly separating head from body. Black blood squirted from the vampire's neck, spraying Sasuke's white shirt.

The first vampire used the opportunity to run at Sasuke who now had his back towards it.

Naruto's fingers brushed against metal encased in leather, finally. "GET DOWN," he yelled, and Sasuke didn’t question him for a moment, instantly crumpling to the ground. Naruto sent his throwing knife whizzing through the air and watched with satisfaction as it lodged itself into the vampire's skull, the vampire instantly crumpling to the ground, the silver coating the blade already starting to eat at his brain, spreading from the knife in an instant.

***

Sasuke just stared from his position on the floor as the metal blade flew through the air, hitting the vampire with lethal accuracy. His eyes widened in surprise as he turned back to Naruto. This was the first time Sasuke had seen the blond wield anything other than his gun, and he was surprised at just how good he was with the throwing knife.

He didn’t have time to think about it now though, and quickly he pushed himself off the ground, offering a hand to Naruto and pulling him up as well. They nodded once, showing that they were both still able to fight. Naruto pulled another knife out of his pocket, and Sasuke gripped his katana tightly as they quickly ran through the rest of the rooms, making sure there were no more vampires lurking in dark corners or under beds. When the coast was finally clear they went back to the room where the two vampires were slowly disintegrating. They heard soft sobbing coming from behind the door the first vampire had tried to break down.

One look and Sasuke took a step back, allowing Naruto to walk up to the door and softly knock on it. They didn’t have to say anything, both knowing exactly what the other wanted with that small look. If there was a survivor behind that door it would be better for Naruto to talk to her, seeing how Sasuke wasn’t much of a people's person.

"You are safe now," Naruto said, his voice soft and calm.

The sobs choked down before a hesitant voice asked why she should believe him. Apparently the girl was terrified, but still smart enough not to trust that it wasn’t another vampire using a new tactic when brute force hadn’t worked.

Naruto leaned down, clipping his badge off of the waistband of his pants, shoving it underneath the crack beneath the door.

"I'm an agent of the Department of Paranormal Affairs. We killed the vampires, you can come out now, and we'll take you somewhere safe."

Seconds ticked by until finally the lock clicked and a girl stepped out of the bathroom. Her eyes were rimmed in red, and downcast, dark bangs shadowing her face as she timidly stepped out of the room, arms wrapped around herself.

"What is your name?" Naruto asked, being careful to give her space as to not frighten her, and angling his body so she wouldn’t see the dead vampires lying on the floor.

"H- H- Hinata Hyuuga," the girl whispered, her slight frame shaking.

Sasuke frowned. Hyuuga? Not a particularly common name, and one shared with his co-worker.

Naruto seemed to have realised the same. "Hyuuga? Do you know Neji?" he asked, the question acting just as much as a way to keep the girl's mind off what she had been going through as anything.

"He's my cousin," she whispered, daring a quick glance up at Naruto before a blush spread on her face and she looked down at her feet again.

"Tell you what, we will take you back to the DPA headquarters, Neji will probably be there now. He can help you. Would that be alright with you?"

Hinata nodded.

"I don't want you to see anything though, you've had enough for the night. If you close your eyes I will take you out of this room and to the DPA, okay?"

The girl nodded again, seemingly glad to be able to close her eyes and not have to see the carnage.

"I will fetch the car, wait with her outside," Sasuke said, getting a nod in confirmation from Naruto. He quickly set off, jogging to get to the Lexus as quick as he could. Hinata would be traumatized, and getting her back to their offices as soon as possible would be the best for her. Neji would be there and help her through the witness statements she would have to go through, as well as any mental and physical check-ups she might require.

In the car he called Kakashi, giving a quick status update, telling him to call in someone to take care of the vampires and the girls they hadn’t been able to save. Hinata was the only one of the girls in the house who had survived, but apparently there were other girls living there as well who just hadn’t been home for the night. That was reassuring, that Hinata would have more people who could help her get back to life later on.

Apparently Hinata had been the one to call 911 after seeing one of the vampire's attack on of the other girls, and thusly she'd saved her own life.

Sasuke hated that three girls had been killed tonight, for no good reason other than to stake the blood lust of two vampires who should have never been here in the first place. The demons belonged in hell, and Sasuke's determination to kill every single one of them who dared cross the threshold to the mortal realm was only cemented further every time another innocent life was taken. He was glad they had been able to save Hinata, but wished they had been able to come there sooner. A few minutes and they might have been able to save at least one or two more of the girls.

It was an almost impossible task they had, fighting vampires. The bloodsuckers always seemed to have the upper hand, blending in the shadows until they struck, spawning new vampires and killing at random. If only there had been a way to wipe them all out for good, to cut off the connection to the other realm for good. There had been talk about it ever since the vampires first started coming into their world, but so far no one knew how it actually worked, how they clawed their way out of the pits of sulphur to their domain. Humans were good at technology, but lousy at the paranormal, having only a child's understanding of it.

No matter how difficult the task was, Sasuke was determined that he would do everything in his power to do it. He'd keep on taking down vampires until there was no one left, was going to show Itachi that he had gotten strong, and then he'd take down him as well. He would not rest until humans were once again safe from the scourge that was vampires.


	14. Chapter 14

Naruto sat in the back of the Lexus together with Hinata, comforting the girl. She was naturally distraught by the loss of her friends, her shoulders shaking in silent sobs. Naruto tried putting a hand on it to calm her down, but her eyes just widened in shock and she blushed furiously. Finding it best to just give her space he kept his distance as he sat next to her, talking softly, not getting many answers back, but hoping that his voice would help her keep calm.   
  
Kakashi had already informed Neji of the situation so the long-haired man was waiting in the garage complex when they entered. Hinata walked over to him, and he followed her upstairs, a look of gratitude offered to Naruto and Sasuke.  
  
Naruto and Sasuke were left standing in the garage, waiting for the next elevator. The silence was deafening. Naruto usually had no problem coming up with something to say, in fact his problem was usually trying to stop his mouth from spewing everything that came to his mind, but right now he was drawing a blank. He wanted to say something to make Sasuke realise that he could trust Naruto, to make him realise that he could open up to him and stop hiding.  
  
Surprisingly enough it was Sasuke who first broke the silence. "I didn't know you knew how to throw knives," he said, staring at the doors to the elevator as if he hadn’t said anything at all.   
  
"I learned when I was a kid. I hoped to impress the other kids so they would stop treating me like they did. It… backfired though.  
  
Sasuke glanced at him, a narrow eyebrow hitching up in a silent question.   
  
"Let's just say that when people are already afraid of you adding sharp objects is not a good idea." Naruto paused and rubbed his chin as if he was contemplating something. "Seems kinda obvious now, maybe I wasn't the brightest kid back then…"  
  
He heard a snort from Sasuke. "You haven't changed much then," the raven mumbled, a smirk crossing his lips.   
  
Naruto gasped in mock outrage, knowing well he'd handed that one to Sasuke on a silver platter. "Shut up!" He lightly punched Sasuke's shoulder, sticking out his tongue at Sasuke when the raven just rolled his eyes at Naruto's antics.   
  
The elevator dinged to announce its arrival, and the two of them stepped inside. For the first time since Las Vegas things weren’t tense, and Naruto enjoyed the feeling. This banter was a helluva lot better than to be given the silent treatment.   
  
Naruto noticed Hinata and Neji sitting in the kitchen nook, the girl clutching what he reckoned was a tea cup. She looked calmer now.   
  
As Naruto passed them she looked up, and her pale eyes met his, widening instantly. He noticed a blush spreading on her cheeks, and had no idea what was wrong, but figured Neji would find out. He waved at the girl with a grin, and she snapped her eyes down towards her hands. Naruto looked over at Neji, and noted his co-worker staring at Naruto with narrowed eyes. Naruto had no idea what that was for either so he just walked on. Neji was probably just upset on Hinata's behalf or something.  
  
Sasuke left it up to Naruto to go to Kakashi to give a more thorough report, while he went to fetch the spare clothing he kept around so he could wash up and change. Naruto had come out of the fight pretty much like he had gotten into it, slightly scruffy around the edges, but presentable. Sure, his shirt was stained, but those spots were all from a horrible accident involving pizza with too much tomato sauce, and he'd cleverly hidden those stains behind his loose hanging tie. Sasuke on the other hand were pretty much drenched in vampire remains. They were used to that happening though, and it wasn't anything some good, old-fashioned soap and water couldn't deal with. Lots and lots of soap.  
  
Naruto spent the next ten minutes talking to Kakashi, going through the mission. They would have to deliver a written report detailing all the events, but Kakashi liked to go through it quickly with them in person as well, to assess if they were really alright. This job could be hard, and as Unit leader he was in charge of his team, making sure they were still in shape to go out there.   
  
"You and Sasuke, how are you working out?" Kakashi asked after they'd gone through the events of the night. Naruto scratched his head, leaning back in his chair as he contemplated the question, finding it hard to answer.  
  
"Well, we work great together in the field. Off it though… Sasuke is… uhm…" His voice trailed off.   
  
"Sasuke is a bastard, we all know that. Why do you think all his other partners have asked for transfers?" Kakashi said bluntly, one finger scratching lightly at his mask.   
  
"He's a handful, yeah," Naruto conceded. "I… like him though. I know he's just putting on a show, not wanting anyone close."  
  
Kakashi nodded, seemingly having gotten to the same conclusion. "He's different with you though," he said, lacing his fingers together and resting his chin on them.  
  
Naruto wasn’t sure what Kakashi meant, it wasn’t like he had been around when any of his other partners had been here.   
  
"He would have never ended up in a fistfight with any of his other partners. Nor would he have yelled at them," Kakashi explained when Naruto met him with silence.  
  
"So, he just hates me extra much, is that it?" Naruto asked, suddenly wondering if he was reading Sasuke completely wrong. Granted, Kakashi didn’t exactly know just how intimate they had gotten during their Las Vegas mission, but still.   
  
"I think it's rather the opposite. He never cared for any of his other partners, so he just ignored them. With you it's different. You challenge him. When he calls you a loser you call him a bastard back, or you punch him, disrupting his routine. I think it shocked him a bit, and I think you are… growing on him." The corner of Kakashi's one visible eye wrinkled in a smile.  
  
"You think so?"  
  
"I think you are good for him, Naruto. And I think he could be good to you too. You work great as a team, and I think with time that will transcend into the other aspects of your… partnership."  
  
There was something in Kakashi's voice that made it sound like he wasn’t talking partnership in a strictly professional manner, but Naruto chose to ignore it, not ready to open up that can of worms just now.   
  
"I really like him, even though he's a bit of an ass. I just… want him to loosen up. He seems so unhappy," Naruto admitted with a sigh.  
  
"I think you are doing the right thing for the both of you Naruto. He's going to fight you every step of the way, because this is completely new to him, but I think it will be worth it in the end. The road Sasuke is walking down now isn’t healthy. He's too focused, to the point where it is becoming all-consuming. You seem to jolt him out of that, make him question himself and what he's been doing. Eventually he will hopefully realise that and be grateful. In the meanwhile, just give him time." Kakashi stretched back in his chair, yawning.   
  
Naruto was surprised at Kakashi's words. Apparently he was thinking what Naruto was thinking, that Sasuke needed a distraction, and that Naruto would fit perfectly in that role. It only made Naruto even more destined not to give up on Sasuke. He would become friends with him, no matter what!  
  


***

  
Sasuke used a paper towel to wipe the water from his hair. He'd had to rinse if off in the sink to get most of the blood out, as well as wash up as well as he could. His drenched shirt was lying on the floor in a plastic bag, and he pulled on a fresh one. He had long since learned to always keep a change at work, seeing how killing vampires could be dirty business. He wanted to finish his paper work before going home, hating to leave that to the next day, and he needed to talk to Kakashi, and doing either of those dressed in bloody clothes just wasn’t weary appealing. Not with the stench vampire blood could leave behind, all rotted sweetness.   
  
Looking in the mirror he winced a little at his hair. The spikes that he painstakingly fixed every day before going out was hanging limply now that the wax had been mostly washed away. He ran a hand through them, hoping to fluff them up, but they were defiant. Letting out an annoyed huff he buttoned up the fresh shirt, going tieless for once since he hadn’t thought to bring a clean tie to work.   
  
Stepping out of the bathroom and dropping the bag of dirty clothes under his desk he walked over to Kakashi's office, knocking on the door.   
  
Apparently he had used long enough time in the bathroom for Kakashi to have gotten updated properly on the mission by Naruto, so he just ushered the two of them out of his office and slammed the door behind them with a pleased chuckle that told Sasuke he would be spending the rest of the night reading on of his usual books.  
  
Walking back to his desk Sasuke booted up the computer, readying to type down his part of the report. He heard a sudden guffaw of laughter as the elevator opened, and peered up to see Kiba and Kankuro entering, Kiba clutching his stomach as he laughed at something his partner had said. Sasuke went back to his job, ignoring the others as best he could.  
  
Half an hour later he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Naruto grinning down at him.   
  
"Our shift is over," he stated.  
  
"I have to finish this before I go." Sasuke turned back to the computer.  
  
"We're going out to get a couple of beers," Naruto continued. Sasuke wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do with that information, so he just kept on typing.   
  
"Well?" Naruto asked impatiently.   
  
Sasuke turned back towards him, frowning slightly. "I'm not sure I caught the question," he said. He really had no idea what Naruto was asking of him. The blond needed to start using his words properly if he wanted Sasuke to answer.   
  
"Well, do you want to join us?"  
  
Naruto wanted him to join them? For beers and socialising? That was… unheard of. No one ever asked Sasuke to come out anymore, they'd all given up on that a long time ago, after having been turned down every single time.   
  
"The others wouldn’t want me there," he mumbled, making to turn away again. Naruto's hand tightened on his shoulder.   
  
"Maybe I want you there, though."  
  
"Why?" Sasuke asked, genuinely puzzled. Why would Naruto want Sasuke to join them, he had to know he would make for awful company.   
  
"Because you're my partner, and it's common courtesy to come out and take at least one beer together. Please, just… humour me." Naruto seemed surprisingly serious, like he would be upset if Sasuke didn’t tag along.   
  
Hesitating for a moment Sasuke suddenly found himself turning off the computer and rise. "Okay," he said. He was more than a little baffled at that. He had in no way decided that he wanted to go, and then his mouth went ahead and took that decision without, treacherous thing that it obviously was.  
  
Naruto's face lit up in a brilliant smile. "Thank you! I'm sure it'll be great!" He bounced out of the room, following on the tails of Kiba and Kankuro who were already leaving. Sasuke rolled his eyes as he followed after his partner, wondering what he had gotten himself involved in right now. He was sure he was going to regret this.   


***

  
Naruto glanced around the small bar they entered. Brown walls, low lighting, a long bar running along one side of the room, small booths lining the wall, a few tables scattered in-between the two. It was obviously not one of the more popular places in town, apart from their own group there were only a handful of other people there.   
  
It looked a lot like the local bar the policemen had frequented back when he was still on the force, a bit worn-down, but quiet, with cheap beer. Not that he'd gone out much then, his co-workers hadn't been so appreciative to having a shifter amongst them.  
  
They headed towards one of the booths set in the back of the room, the biggest booths they had. Six of them slid onto the leather seats, Naruto plopping his ass down next to Kiba. Looking up he saw Sasuke standing, looking down, hands fisted at his side, like he was trying to keep calm and not run away or something. Naruto started shoving at Kiba. "Hey, make room for Sasuke."  
  
"Never mind," Sasuke said tensely, grabbing a chair standing nearby and setting it at the edge of the table, sitting down gingerly. Naruto offered him a smile, wanting to make him feel welcome, even though the others were properly surprised at him joining them. It was glaringly obvious Sasuke did not usually come out with them.   
  
Naruto let his gaze slide over their group. Neji hadn’t joined them, having gone with Hinata to ensure she was doing alright, and Gaara and Shikamaru was busy with a mission in another city, so they naturally hadn’t been able to join them. Temari had come though, as had Sakura and Lee.   
  
Naruto probably knew Kiba best of the others, but all of them were friendly, and he'd gotten to know them all a bit, and he liked every one of them. He was beyond stoked to have several people in his life that he could actually call friends.  
  
The laughter flowed freely around the table. With their job unwinding was key to staying sane, and this was as good a way as any to do it. They got to relax, talk about whatever they felt like talking about, and forget the blood and pain that was inevitable with what they did for a living.   
  
Soon enough the table filled with beers, and they were all quick to grab one. Lee raised his, toasting their youth, saying that if he didn’t drink the entire beer in ten seconds he would run around the building one hundred times. The kid was a little weird, but Naruto liked having him around, his energy was contagious.   
  
Naruto lifted his own beer, turning towards Sasuke to toast to a job well done. The raven looked down on the beer that had been placed in front of him with a look of distaste on his face. "Why do we drink this swill again," he muttered, seemingly to himself.  
  
"What, you don’t like beer?" Naruto asked, outraged.   
  
"No, I like beer fine enough, not just this cat piss that tries to pretend it is beer." He prodded his glass, as if it had offended him just by being in his proximity.   
  
"Dude, look around. If you think they'll serve some fancy imported shit here you are terribly mistaken," Naruto said. Sure, the beer wasn’t great, but it was beer, and any beer was better than no beer right now.   
  
"But of course, if you are too afraid to taint your delicate palate with it, please go buy a coke instead." Naruto grinned around the glass as he took a sip. He was pretty sure Sasuke wouldn’t back away from that thinly veiled challenge.   
  
Sure enough, Sasuke lifted his glass and took a good swallow, wincing slightly.   
  
"Come on, that all you can do?" Naruto asked, lifting his glass and starting to drink in earnest.  
  
Sasuke shot daggers at him, but when Naruto just shrugged and kept on chugging down the beer Sasuke was swift to lift the glass to his lips again, drinking it down quickly.   
  
When Naruto finally finished his glass he slammed it down on the table, overjoyed that he had beat Sasuke to it when the raven's glass slammed down a few seconds later. "Hah! I won!"  
  
"You cheated, you started before me," Sasuke called back, not taking the defeat in stride.   
  
"Nu-uh, I won, fair and square," Naruto pouted.   
  
Sasuke stared at him for a moment, eyes narrowed, before he suddenly pushed his chair away from the table, stalking across the room. Naruto quickly turned towards Kiba, silently asking what the hell he had done wrong. Kiba just shrugged and shook his head a little, understanding even less of Sasuke.   
  
Moments later Naruto was startled when something slammed into the table top. He stared down to see two beer glasses, Sasuke holding them. Blond eyebrows lifted in surprise. He had thought Sasuke was leaving, not that he went to buy more beer.  
  
"This time we start at the same time," Sasuke said, a small smirk on his lips as he lifted his glass, challenge in his eyes.   
  
"Oh, it's on," Naruto grinned to himself.  
  


***

  
Sasuke looked around the booth, noticing with a smirk that he had become victorious. Naruto was lying slumped over the table, face down on the pockmarked wood, shot glasses being placed gingerly around him by a giggling Temari. The blond was oblivious to her antics, even as she placed a couple on top of his head. They wobbled, but came to a rest. The blond was either sleeping, or too drunk to move his head. Either way, Sasuke had clearly won the drinking contest, still being awake, although just barely.   
  
He was not sure what had come into him, joining this impromptu drinking contest between the two of them. It was not a very Uchiha-like behaviour. He could see that the others were had been just as surprised, conversation lulling when they first started, probably trying to make sure Sasuke wasn’t up to anything. They relaxed when he slammed his glass down on the table, announcing himself the victor as Naruto followed a few seconds later. And when Naruto moved to buy a few shot glasses for either of them Sasuke didn’t even hesitate, but threw himself wholeheartedly into the contest.   
  
As it turned out they were prettily evenly matched, liquor and beer vanishing quickly. Their co-workers hadn’t really joined them, but they had amassed quite a few glasses of their own, to the point where all of them were drunk to some extent.   
  
Kiba was babbling furiously to Kankuro, while Kankuro nodded sagely. Sasuke could see in his glassy eyes that he wasn’t paying much attention to what Kiba was talking about though. Temari was still having fun framing Naruto's head with empty glasses, the blond still not stirring. Lee was running laps around the bar, after losing some bet he made with himself. Sasuke had no idea what it had been about, and it hadn’t looked like anyone but Lee did either, so they just let him run. Sasuke wasn’t sure how the man managed to do something as vigorously as move around at this time, Sasuke was finding it hard enough to sit upright.   
  
Sasuke could not remember the last time he had gotten drunk, but he knew it had been under different circumstances. The only times he got to work on a liquor bottle was when his mind just would not give him rest, churning over the people he had failed in his life, and he found himself needing some reprieve. A bottle of whiskey and a dark room worked well, but wasn’t exactly a good coping mechanism, so he tried to keep those times few and far between.  
  
He'd gone to bars a few times, but was usually the one who sat in a corner, glaring at the others, not ready to give up his hard earned control by doing something as stupid as drinking. So why he had completely forgotten about that now and gotten this drunk he wasn’t sure. Had to be Naruto's doing. Sasuke seemed unable to step away from a challenge, however stupid it was, when issued from the blond, and see where it had led him this time.   
  
Groaning he leaned back in his chair. The world was swimming around him, Sakura suddenly becoming three Sakura's right before his eyes. Sasuke frowned and shook his head, finding one Sakura more than enough. The girl was sitting opposite of Naruto, on the other edge of the booth, meaning she was close to Sasuke. Sasuke hadn’t really been paying much attention to her at all during the evening. To be honest, he had ignored her as much as he could ever since their partnership had fallen apart. The girl had been so stoked to be partnered with Sasuke when she first came to department, apparently fawning over him, and Sasuke hadn’t been kind when driving her away from him. He didn’t want a partner, and he didn’t want a girlfriend, and he definitely didn’t want someone who was both of those things at the same time. He had effectively crushed the girl, and had been surprised when she'd only asked to be given a new partner, and not a transfer to another unit altogether. To be honest, Sasuke was thinking maybe he hadn’t crushed her heart as much as been so much of a bastard she just got sick and tired of him. Maybe he had been having too high thoughts about himself, because she didn’t really look very distraught.  
  
"You've changed," she said, her head resting on her hand as she looked at Sasuke. Her eyes were at half-mast, but she didn't slur her words, showing that she wasn't completely wasted, unlike some of the others.  
  
It took Sasuke's alcohol infused brain a few moments to realise that she was talking to him.  
  
"Hn," he answered, not sure what else to say. Sure, he wasn’t acting like his usual self tonight, but he hadn’t really changed much other than that had he?  
  
"It's Naruto, isn’t it?" she continued.   
  
Sasuke just stared at her.  
  
"He's something, I'll give you that. To go through all that shit and still be so… happy," she smiled softly, her eyes lingering on Naruto's head for a moment before looking back to Sasuke. "He's a really good kid, Sasuke, please don't hurt him. Not everyone can deal with your shit the way he does, but even he has got to have a limit."  
  
Sasuke just continued to stare at her, his mind trying to make sense of what she was talking about. What shit had Naruto been going through, was Sakura referring to being partnered with him? No, it sounded like there was something more serious behind it.   
  
His gaze moved to Naruto, seeing him stir slightly, glasses wobbling but staying upright as he fell to rest again, obviously sleeping by now. It was surprising that Naruto was still around, after Sasuke had worked hard to scare him away, the blond was certainly stubborn like that.   
  
Sakura pushed away from the table, announcing that she was beat and was going home. Temari joined her, having grown tired of her game with the glasses. The two of them found Lee doing push ups a few tables over, and grabbed him by an arm each, taking him with them, leaving only Kiba and Kankuro together with Naruto and Sasuke.   
  
Sasuke was getting decidedly more tired, and Naruto was fast asleep. Maybe it was time to get home. He looked over at Kiba and Kankuro, noting that they were both piss drunk by now. Sasuke didn’t really want to leave Naruto with them, he didn’t think they would be able to get him home safely. Sure, Sasuke was drunk as well, but an Uchiha never completely lost control, even after an innumerable amount of shots and beers. Getting to his legs, hands clutched around the table top until he was certain he could keep his balance he pushed at Naruto's shoulder, wincing when the glasses atop his head tumbled down. He'd forgotten about those.  
  
Naruto mumbled something, twisted his head to the side and promptly fell asleep again. Sighing exasperatedly he grabbed Naruto's shoulder firmer, shaking him until blue eyes stared up at him, confusion apparent in them.  
  
"We're leaving," Sasuke simply said, not giving Naruto any choice in the matter. It wasn’t like him to take care of others like this, but he would make sure Naruto got home safely, not believing he was capable of doing that by himself anymore. The blond would probably just have curled up into a ball outside the bar and fallen asleep, freezing to death or something equally stupid.   
  
Grabbing an arm Sasuke pulled Naruto unceremoniously to his feet, looping the arm around his shoulder so he could drag his sleepy ass out of the bar and to a cab. The Lexus would just have to spend the night in the garage at work, because he certainly was not up to driving home at this point.   
  
Naruto had woken enough when Sasuke pulled him to his feet that he somehow managed to shuffle along. He called out a goodnight to Kiba and Kankuro, who just laughed in return, before Sasuke got them out on the street. He sat Naruto down on a bench at the nearest bus stop as he used the next minutes waving down a cap.   
  
Naruto was asleep by the time a cab pulled over, but Sasuke managed to shove him into the backseat.  
  
"So, where we headed?" the cab driver asked.  
  
Sasuke had no clue where Naruto lived, having never had a reason to ask before. He tried shaking Naruto awake to get him to answer, but the blond had completely fallen into the land of the dead right now, sliding down the seat to fall asleep, his head resting in Sasuke's lap.   
  
Sasuke hesitated a moment before telling the driver his own home address. Naruto would just have to crash on his couch tonight. Fuck, he really was turning soft.  
  
It took some manoeuvring to get a sleeping Naruto inside the elevator and up to the fifteenth floor, and then halfway down the hallway to his apartment. He had wrapped his arm around Naruto, half dragging, half carrying him all the way. The sudden exercise had done wonders for his drunken state, the alcohol seemingly vanishing completely from his blood stream as he sweated. Naruto was bulky, hiding quite a lot of muscles underneath his clothes, and because he was sleeping it was all deadweight. Sasuke almost left him sleeping in the hallway, but somehow managed to get the door open, and could drop Naruto to the couch, his shoulders and arms aching by now.  
  
Making sure to lock the door behind him, sliding the two deadbolts shut Sasuke headed directly to the kitchen, drinking enough water that he thought he could feel slushing in his insides. He cast a glance over at Naruto, noting that he had curled up, his legs tucked to his chest, sleeping soundly and peacefully. Rolling his eyes at himself Sasuke walked over, grabbed a quilt from the armchair standing next to the couch and wrapped it around Naruto before he pulled off the blond's shoes. With that he headed to bed.


	15. Chapter 15

Naruto woke with the sun shining in his eyes and his bladder complaining loudly in his abdomen. He got to his feet only to find that his brain hated him, pain throbbing in his skull. He clutched a hand to it and groaned. Memory of last night started coming back to him, and he was wondering just how many shots he had been able to get down by the end of it, because the night grew into a complete blur after a while.  
  
His bladder again made its presence known, and Naruto decided he needed to get to the bathroom ASAP, or he'd have an accident, something he really wanted to avoid if necessary.   
  
He swung his feet over the edge of the bed, surprised to find plush carpet under his socked feet. When had his flooring turned into carpets? He frowned as he stared down at his feet, wiggling his toes to ensure they were his feet. The dark grey carpet he was standing on had certainly not been there yesterday, he was certain of that. Had he drunk-bought a carpet and put it out last night?  
  
Lifting his gaze he was surprised to note that not only had he gotten carpets over the night, his small bedroom had apparently turned into a luxurious living room. "What the…" he muttered as he stumbled to his feet, looking around in surprise.  
  
"Finally up, I see," he heard a silky voice say from somewhere behind him. Naruto spun around and saw Sasuke standing in a doorway on the other side of the room, wearing a loose hanging pyjama pant and nothing else. Naruto allowed himself a moment to enjoy the view before matters became serious in his bladder.   
  
"Uhm, bathroom?" he mumbled, his mind still not working completely like it should.  
  
"Down the hallway, first door to your left," Sasuke said before turning and going back to the room he had come from.   
  
Naruto decided that any questions would have to wait for now and rushed across the carpet, desperate to find the bathroom.   
  
After pissing what had to be several gallons worth he could finally zip up his pants again. The bathroom he had come into was way bigger than his own, covered in white and dark grey tiles. It looked to be in a lot better shape than his own, which had wallpapered walls that were peeling off in large chunks and what he suspected might be mould growing in a corner.  
  
Washing his hands he left the room, walking back down the hallway, heading for where he had seen Sasuke vanish.   
  
It turned out to be the kitchen. It looked just as nice as the rest of the apartment, glossy white cupboards, silvery appliances, fancy looking coffeemaker, and dark-grey stone countertops. If this was Sasuke's apartment, which he was thinking highly likely seeing how Sasuke was currently standing in front of the stove, making something that smelled absolutely amazing, it looked like Sasuke was pretty loaded. However he managed that Naruto wasn’t quite sure. They made decent money, at least more than Naruto had on the police force, but nothing that warranted this.   
  
Naruto felt a soft breeze, and looked over to see that one wall in the kitchen was pretty much floor to ceiling glass, an open door leading out to a balcony. Padding over he stepped onto the wooden deck, eyes bugging as he took in the view. They were high up, and the city sprawled in front of him. The river that ran through the city was just to the right of the apartment complex, and Naruto realised that they were in a more than decent neighbourhood. How the hell… was Sasuke secretly a drug lord or something? This apartment had to be worth millions!  
  
He walked back into the kitchen, eyes widening further when he saw Sasuke scoop fried eggs onto two plates, joining the bacon and toast that was already lying there. Naruto's tummy growled, ecstatic with the impending meal he seriously hoped Sasuke meant was for the both of them. He would be seriously bummed it if turned out Sasuke had a roomie or something he had made food for.   
  
A grin broke out on his face as Sasuke placed the two plates on the kitchen table, motioning for Naruto to sit down. He didn’t hesitate a moment, placing his pretty ass down on the chair. Sasuke came over with two glasses of water, and sat down next to Naruto.  
  
They ate in silence, Naruto too busy scarfing down his eggs and bacon to bother with something as trivial as talking. He was glad he had a strong stomach, his hangover focusing on his head rather than his tummy, so eating was no problem.   
  
When his plate was empty he pushed it away with a content sigh. "Thank you, Sasuke!" he exclaimed.  
  
He still didn’t remember exactly what had happened yesterday to ensure that he woke up in Sasuke's apartment, the raven treating him nicely and even making him food. He would have almost thought they'd had sex or something, if it wasn’t for the fact that Naruto was wearing his clothes from yesterday, and had woken up on the couch. Getting drunk was obviously good for Sasuke's mood. Had Naruto known that he would have taking him out a lot sooner, because this nice Sasuke was much preferable to the bastard he was used to.   
  
"So, what happened last night?" Naruto asked. His mind didn’t seem like it wanted to give him the answers of its own, so he would have to hope Sasuke remembered more than him.   
  
"You got drunk," Sasuke stated, moving from the table over to the coffeemaker.  
  
Naruto grinned sheepishly. "I… kind of figured. I'm reckoning this is your apartment?" he asked, hoping Sasuke would keep on explaining. Naruto didn’t really like not remembering what had happened last night, there were a plethora of idiotic things he could have said while drunk. _Like how insanely attractive Sasuke was_ , he mused as he watched Sasuke. The raven's skin was so pale, in sharp contrast to his black hair. His back was leanly muscular, and when he turned Naruto noticed that the pants hung low enough on his hips to show off a toned abdomen, and hipbones Naruto just wanted to lick.  
  
Blushing at his thoughts and desperately trying to push them to the back of his mind when he noticed Naruto jr stirring to life in his pants he gratuitously accepted a cup of coffee from Sasuke.   
  
"Yes, it is my apartment. You fell asleep at the bar, and I didn’t know where you lived, so I dumped you on the couch," he answered, coffee cup lifting to his lips.  
  
"It's really nice. Like _really nice_ ," Naruto said, immediately feeling like an utter dork.  
  
"My family was wealthy. I inherited everything when they… passed away." Sasuke's eyes lowered. He didn’t know that Naruto knew about his family already, but Naruto knew when to shut up. Well, okay, maybe he usually didn’t, but he knew that he should let Sasuke tell his story when he felt like it, or he'd clam up and shut Naruto out completely.  
  
Silence grew between them as they drank their coffees.  
  
"So, did I do anything stupid last night?" Naruto finally asked.  
  
A mischievous grin rose on Sasuke's lips. "You don't remember much of last night do you?"  
  
Naruto rubbed a hand through his hair. "Nah, it all goes blank after Kiba started ordering tequila."  
  
Sasuke made a sound that Naruto could have sworn were an actual chuckle. He was starting to get a little worried by now. Something must have happened to Sasuke last night. Not only was he nice, but he was laughing? Someone must have slipped something in his drink or something. Was this Sasuke high on something? Because if it was Naruto might have to start looking into drugs.  
  
"Oh yes, tequila, that was a bad idea."  
  
Naruto groaned when he tried to remember what had happened after that, but the tequila was still having a party in his skull, and whenever he thought too hard it started aching. A soft groan of pain made its way past his lips as he rubbed his forehead, willing the pain to go away.   
  
Sasuke suddenly rose from the table. "Come," he said, finally pointing to the couch in the living room, motioning for Naruto to sit down. He then vanished down the hallway, only to emerge moments later. He placed a couple of small white pills on the coffee table in front of Naruto before settling down in the other end of the couch.   
  
Naruto frowned down at the pills, recognising them as painkillers, and sent Sasuke a grateful smile as he grabbed them and swallowed them dry. They stuck to his throat a little before he could gather up enough saliva to swallow them completely. He was not up for another walk to the kitchen just to get a glass of water to take them with.   
  
"Please, tell me what happened last night?" he finally asked as the pills settled in his stomach.  
  
Sasuke proceeded to tell Naruto about the outcome of the drinking contest, of Lee and his crazy antics, of Temari burying Naruto in glasses without Naruto noticing, of Kiba hitting on a girl on a nearby table and getting his ass handed to him, and everything else the group had managed to do in the few hours they had been in the bar. Naruto felt his memories come back somewhat as Sasuke talked, but he reckoned he'd never remember everything, it being too buried in alcohol.   
  
"I still could have won the drinking contest," Naruto muttered when Sasuke finished. "I'm sure you cheated somehow. I mean, look at you, you doesn’t look the least bit hung-over."  
  


***

  
Sasuke leaned back on the couch, resting the back of his head on the top of it and closing his eyes for a moment. If Naruto only knew that the reason he wasn’t wearing a shirt was because he had puked on the one he had been wearing just an hour before Naruto woke up. He'd felt okay when he went to bed, but when he woke up he had just had time to take a shower and put on his lounge pants and a simple t-shirt before his stomach rebelled, sending him to the toilet to say goodbye to everything he had consumed yesterday. He'd been clutching it until all that came up were bile, and by then the t-shirt had gotten smelly splotches of puke and had been sent to the hamper. He'd had every intention of putting on a new one after washing up and brushing his teeth, but he just hadn’t gotten around to it.   
  
He had found that after throwing up it generally helped to get a good, greasy meal in his stomach, giving it plenty to work on, so he'd moved into the kitchen to fry up some bacon. Along the way he had noticed Naruto, still sleeping on the couch, and in a spur of the moment had decided to make enough for him as well.   
  
Sakura's words from yesterday still lingered on his mind, and he realised she had been right. Naruto was exceptionally patient when it came to Sasuke's bullshit, but wasn’t likely to keep up with that if Sasuke didn’t stop this bastard act. To be honest, at some point Sasuke had come to realise that Naruto was probably as good a partner as any he would get, and Kakashi would never allow him to work solo, so maybe it was for the best if he just kept Naruto around. Sure, the blond could be a major pain in the butt at times, but they worked great together, and he seemed to genuinely like Sasuke in spite of everything, and that said something.   
  
He'd spent quite some time tossing around on his bed after coming home from the bar, finding sleep to elude him. He kept thinking about the fact that Naruto was just outside his bedroom and down the hall. He had thought it would feel weird to have him close, feel like Naruto was invading on his private life. The fact was… it felt kind of nice, and that thought shocked Sasuke. He had found that he didn't mind that Naruto would see his apartment tomorrow, found that he was actually kind of looking forward to waking up tomorrow and have someone else around.  
  
He had no idea when exactly it had happened, but at some point he had started to almost… like the guy? Sure, he was a pain in the butt, brash, impulsive and loud. But he was also attentive, kind and a hot piece of ass. He couldn't deny the attraction between them in Las Vegas, or, at least on his part. He still had no idea how much of Naruto's behaviour were acting, but there was definitely something there, something Sasuke didn’t think he'd felt with anyone before. Maybe it was about time he just relaxed a little. No one said he had to be best friends with the guy, but maybe they didn't have to be enemies either.  
  
Sasuke wasn’t stupid. He knew he would still call the blond an idiot, and kick his ass. They'd fight, and injure each other, and he knew Naruto would get on his nerves just about every day, but maybe it was time to stop acting like an asshole, and make the best of the situation.  
  
He was almost a bit worried that someone had slipped him something in his drink last night, because he was feeling so… relaxed. Like Naruto being in his apartment wasn't a big deal at all, even though no one ever visited him. He was just… tired of fighting, tired of pushing Naruto away when a part of him wanted him to be close.   
  
He'd offer up breakfast as a peace offering, and then they would just see what happened from there. There was really only one thing that really mattered, and that was work. They had a mission to save this world from the vampire scourge, and that was what they were going to do. Together they were a fierce team, a force to be reckoned with, and Sasuke knew that if they really put their minds to it they could become truly great together.  
  
"You know, yesterday was great, I've never had friends to go out with before," Naruto suddenly said. Sasuke opened his eyes and looked at him. The blond had curled up on the couch, his feet tucked underneath him.   
  
"You haven’t?" Sasuke inquired, truly baffled. Naruto had instantly made friends with their entire office, winning over every one of their co-workers. They all seemed to genuinely like him. He was always bouncing around the office, Kiba and him trying to outdo each other with their yelling. Naruto had even made friends with Gaara, and that was about unheard of, the redhead even more of a recluse than Sasuke was. Naruto seemed to have a special talent when it came to people, so the thought that he hadn’t had friends to go out with before seemed foreign.  
  
"I came from this small town, lived there right up until I moved here. There… were no other shifters around, so people didn’t really know what being one would mean, all they knew about shifters they got from the news. Werewolf slays family of five, murders committed by a cat shifter, that sort of things. They came to the conclusion that all shifters were a threat, so they always kept away from me," Naruto said, his hands fiddling with the hem of his shirt nervously.  
  
"That's bullshit," Sasuke said. "The government has made it clear that most shifters aren’t a threat to anyone, no more than humans are a threat to humans."  
  
"I know that, and you know that, but to them it was easier to latch on to the bad, and just assume I would turn in an instant and eat them all," Naruto laughed a hollow laugh that held no emotion. "I didn’t have a single friend in school. All the parents made sure of that."  
  
"What about your parents, why didn’t they do something? Were they shifters as well?" Sasuke inquired. He remembered going through Naruto's Facebook profile back when they first met, and how friendless he had seemed. It suddenly all made sense now.  
  
"They were killed when I was a baby. The same shifter who left me half-dead. He… broke into our home and killed both of them before hurting pretty bad according to what I heard, they never caught him actually, so no one really knows what happened, or why he attacked us. And I guess the fact that the man who made me a shifter was a vicious killer made it easier for them to fear me.   
  
"I grew up bouncing between an orphanage and foster homes, but people didn't really like the idea of having a shifter in the house, so they sent me back. I got lucky though. I had this school teacher, Iruka, and he was the only one who wasn't afraid of me. He'd always be around to pick me up when someone punched me, or you know, whatever shit they were doing at the time. He adopted me after a while when he realised I was about to be sent back to the orphanage after the family I lived with had another kid, a normal one.  
  
"I… think he saved me. I was so angry at the world back then, I probably would have turned into the monster they thought I was if he hadn't helped me. Even when I was an obnoxious brat he took care of me. Like I was his son for real."  
  
Naruto rubbed the back of his neck and tried smiling, but it seemed stiff to Sasuke.  
  
Sasuke wasn’t sure what he could say, so he didn’t. He just lifted a hand, and gently placed it on Naruto's leg, offering his support silently. Sasuke suddenly knew what Sakura had been talking about, the shitty background Naruto had. Fuck, it was just as bad as his own, the difference being that Naruto had never wanted to be alone, where Sasuke had made sure he was left alone, driven by his quest for vengeance. They were both orphans, alone in the world. Maybe this was why they worked so well together, they shared a background, knew pain.  
  
"I always tried to be nice to everyone, but if I made the slightest mistake they'd instantly turn on me. Like if I got mad when one of the bigger kids stole my Gameboy, the parents all took the kid's side, saying that the _shifter-boy_ was threatening their precious baby." Naruto said, and then suddenly snorted in amusement. "Mind you, that precious baby is now in jail for armed robbery, so joke's on them.  
  
"Fuck, I never once shifted, but still they all assumed I was about to," Naruto continued, instantly getting Sasuke's attention.  
  
"You never shifted when you were a kid?"  
  
"Nah. I was damned close though. Never got any further than claws and fangs before I got control again though. That time with Hidan and Kakuzu is actually probably the closest I've ever gotten.  
  
Sasuke stared at him in shock. "You know that this is about unheard of right?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"For a shifter to never go through with a shift. Every shifter goes through turns, voluntarily or not through their life, whether because they get provoked, or just because they are kids, or because their hormones mess with them during puberty."  
  
"Well, it can't be that rare to not, can it?" Naruto asked, rubbing his nose.  
  
"I've never heard about it before," Sasuke said. It was literally unheard of for a shifter not to turn. No one could have that much control over their body and mind. Come to think of it, there was something else, the way Naruto's' eyes had turned red, that wasn’t exactly normal either… Sasuke thought maybe it was time to talk to Kakashi about this, to figure out what the deal with Naruto's' shifting abilities really were. Naruto himself seemed to genuinely think himself a normal shifter, but if he grew up the only shifter in his community he wouldn’t have very many to learn from either, so it was possible he didn’t know what made him different, even if they should have covered shifters during agent training.   
  
The conversation lulled, Naruto not seeming to want to talk about his background anymore, and Sasuke not ready to reveal his own. Maybe he would tell Naruto sometime, but not yet. He hadn’t shared with anyone, and although he knew Kakashi at least would know of his background he wanted to keep it the way it was a bit longer. He didn’t want the pity in Naruto's eyes when he learned about what happened to his family. He hated how that was always what happened. Poor, little orphaned Sasuke.  
  
Sasuke reached out, grabbing the remote control resting on the coffee table and turned on the TV, needing something to distract them from the silence.   
  
Naruto's eyes lit up in glee, his mood seemingly lifting in a split-second, like he hadn't just told Sasuke about his shitty childhood. "That is the biggest TV I've ever seen!" he squealed, apparently not having noticed the flat screen until now, even though it took up most of the wall, being 75 fucking inches big and all.   
  
"Gimme, gimme, gimme," Naruto continued, making grabby hands in the direction of the remote. Reluctantly Sasuke gave it over.  
  
Naruto started playing with the buttons, flying through the channels, barely getting a glance at what was on before moving on. Suddenly he found a new button. "Oooooh, is this like one of this smart ones?" he asked, sounding like a child who had just gotten a new toy. Sasuke just nodded.   
  
"Aw, man, this is friggin' awesome. My TV is a piece of crap I got years ago," Naruto muttered to himself as he moved back through the TV channels. Sasuke wasn’t sure how anyone could find this much joy in something Sasuke himself mostly used to watch the news. Why he had ever bothered buying the thing in the first place he didn’t really know, it just felt like one of those things one should have.  
  
"Oh oh oh!" Naruto suddenly yelped in happiness. "I love this movie, can we watch it, pretty please?"  
  
Somehow being nice to the guy had turned him into a puppy, bouncing with energy. Sasuke was starting to feel that he was going to regret this at some point, as he just nodded, letting Naruto have his will.   
  
"Damned, you have too many windows, I can hardly see the screen," Naruto mumbled as he squinted at the screen. The movie was obviously on some night scene, and the sunlight streaming in through the big windows that lined the living room wall was making it hard to see anything apart from shadows.   
  
Sasuke just rolled his eyes, grabbed the other remote on the table and quickly pressed a button. Naruto jumped a little as he heard the sound from the windows, his face splitting into a big grin as he saw the automatic shutters draw close.   
  
"If you buy a PS4 I'm just gonna move in here right away, this is like heaven," Naruto said gleefully as he leaned back on the couch, settling in with the movie.   
  
Sasuke just shook his head. It was surprisingly nice to have someone over. Apart from the moving men no one else had seen his apartment before. His last boyfriend had bemoaned the fact, but Sasuke didn’t feel comfortable having anyone over, so they'd always spent the time at his place, Sasuke rarely staying the night.   
  


***

  
"No, no, no," don't go in there, Naruto muttered to himself, completely engrossed in what was going on in the movie. Why did the people in movies always make such bad mistakes? You should never split up when you were hiding from serial killers, never! That just made it so much easier for them to take you down, one by one.   
  
Naruto winced when a motor saw suddenly sprang to life in the room the guy onscreen had just entered, digging into his stomach so blood and intestines flew. He had a sick fascination with horror movies. They terrified him, but he still loved watching them, always regretting it, but doing it again and again.   
  
There was one thing different this time though, this time he wasn’t sitting alone in his little apartment, this time he was curled up on a comfortable couch, watching on a big ass flat screen rather than the tiny TV he owned, someone else in the room with him.   
  
He tore his eyes away from the screen for a moment, looking over and seeing Sasuke watching the movie as well, with feigned look of I-don't-care on his face. He tried to act as if wasn’t affected by the movie, but Naruto had felt Sasuke jump the first time the killer had burst through the windows on the screen, motor saw ploughing through the token slutty blonde. (Why were they always blonde? Blond people weren't always slutty, Naruto should know. He totally wasn't slutty!)  
  
Somewhere along the course of the movie they had ended up sitting closer together. They'd started off on separate sides of the three-seater, now they were sitting close enough that Naruto could feel his thigh brushing up against Sasuke's whenever he moved it at all. He felt like a silly teenager, quickly pulling his leg towards himself again whenever it would brush up against Sasuke, blush threatening to creep to his face. He was glad he had a tan skin tone, it wouldn’t show up so well.   
  
He wasn’t sure if he was acting like a teenager because he had never gotten to act like this when he actually was a teenager, no one would have allowed their kids to have a sleepover or to watch movies alone with the shifter kid, so he had never gotten to have those silly flings teens were supposed to have. Heck, he hadn’t even lost his virginity until he started college, but that had been to a girl who just wanted to experiment what it would be like to be with a shifter, if the sex really was that much more intense. She had not been satisfied with his clumsy virgin sex. Okay, so it hadn’t helped that it was the night when he had decided that he definitely preferred boys over girls, at least that girl in particular, and was less invested in the sex than he had wanted to.   
  
He'd had a couple of one-night stands since, most of them with guys, and although it had been nice it had never amounted to anything else. It seemed like he was a novelty more than anything else, someone people fucked so they could cross it off their bucket list. It probably hadn't helped that he had gone to college in the nearest small city to where he grew up, and had joined the police force in the same place. The supernatural presence in the city was vanishingly tiny, making Naruto stick out like a sore thumb.   
  
Moving to a big city and joining the DPA had been the best decision of his life. Sure, he had almost lost his life before he had really gotten started, but he had gained friends, and that was something he was thinking he would never get.  
  
Sasuke's thigh pressed up against his own as the raven reached forward, grabbing his glass of water off the coffee table. Apart from getting something to drink, and fetching a t-shirt Sasuke had been sitting next to him through the last half of the movie he had first stumbled upon when browsing through the vast number of channels, and now through the horror movie Naruto had found on his Netflix. Sasuke hadn’t at any point complained about Naruto's presence in his apartment, and Naruto was milking it for what it was worth. He was thrilled that Sasuke seemed to be warming to him, not having done anything bastardly the entire day so far, he wanted to enjoy it. He was sure there were no way it could last for long, so better soak up on it now.   
  
"Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck," Naruto muttered as the character on the screen opened the door to the basement, starting down the creaky stairs. "I can't watch this shit, I'm gonna piss myself."  
  
"Then why did you insist we watch it?" Sasuke inquired, sounding amused on behalf of Naruto. How the raven could be so cool when that poor girl was about to have her guts carved out with a motor saw Naruto had no idea. "Besides, it's not like we don't see worse with our job."  
  
Sure, blood and guts was pretty every day, but then Naruto had a weapon in hand, and had control of the situation, and didn’t have to watch as someone made the biggest mistake of their life. Besides, motor saw wielding maniacs were more terrifying than vampires. That sound of the motor saw roaring to life…  
  
Naruto twisted on the couch in sympathy pain as the motor saw was thrust out from between the steps of the stair, effectively carving over both of the girl's Achilles tendons, her body toppling to the floor as she screamed in pain. Only when the motor saw cut off her head did he relax enough to realise that he had managed to eradicate what space there had been between him and Sasuke, and now he was sitting pressed up against him, hands clutching Sasuke's shoulder.  
  
He looked up at Sasuke with wide eyes, wondering how he would deal with this, if he'd push him away or just gently move away by himself.   
  
Dark eyes met his, and this only made Naruto even more aware of just how close they were to one another. He could feel Sasuke's breath against his lips when he exhaled, and he could see every single eyelash fringing those eyes, and a small scar just under one eye. He couldn’t tear his gaze away, and it didn’t look like Sasuke could ever. He held Naruto's gaze steadily, heat seeming to rise in them, much like it had back in Las Vegas. Naruto found that his heart was beating heavily in his chest, threatening to break free of his ribcage altogether.   
  
"Sasuke," he muttered, not managing to coming up with anything else to say. His fingers tightened around Sasuke's shoulder, his body doing what his heart wanted.   
  
He felt a hand on his thigh, and peered down to see Sasuke rest a hand there, gently rubbing his thumb against the muscle. Naruto's breath hitched in his throat, his mind reeling, thoughts flying through it. What did this mean, that Sasuke touched him rather than pushed him away? Was he just being friendly, or was there something more. Oh god, oh god, oh god, was he going to kiss him? Naruto's thoughts honed in on that, wanting nothing more than for Sasuke to move down and claim his lips. They'd kissed before, but that had been different, just a part of the job. If they kissed now, that certainly had to mean something, didn’t it? His eyes flicked to Sasuke's lip, noticing that they looked soft and slightly pink and so, so tempting.  
  
Naruto met Sasuke's gaze again, surprised by the intensity of it. Then Sasuke was leaning closer, and then his lips softly pressed against Naruto's. The world froze and time stood still in that moment when their mouths finally met in a soft caress. Naruto squirmed closer to Sasuke, wanting to feel his body pressed up against him.   
  
The hand on his thigh dug into his flesh insistently, like Sasuke couldn’t control it anymore, like there was a fire within that wanted to break free, and he was trying so hard to contain it.   
  
Naruto didn’t want him to contain anything, wanted Sasuke to let go and just do what his body wanted him to do, to forget all about his carefully maintained shields and just _feel_. He moved his hands up, dug his fingers into Sasuke's hair and deepened the kiss. His lips were demanding against Sasuke's, his tongue was trailing over the seam of his lips, begging for Sasuke to just lose himself in this kiss.  
  
He could feel Sasuke's body tightening, but then he snapped, gloriously so. Naruto felt hands shoving at his chest, and as he tumbled backwards on the couch Sasuke followed him, pressing their bodies together as he took control of the kiss. His tongue entered Naruto's mouth, brushing against Naruto's own, teasing him. Naruto was quick to answer, his tongue playing against Sasuke's.  
  
The kiss was intense, too many bottled up feelings releasing at the same time, and Naruto loved every second of it, loved how Sasuke's hands was burying themselves in Naruto's blond locks, pulling at them in a way that had Naruto moaning into the kiss.   
  
He could feel his cock grow rock hard in his pants, and his hips started moving all by themselves, lifting to rub against Sasuke. He could feel Sasuke grow hard against him too, the knowledge that Naruto was responsible for it only making this that much hotter.   
  
Sasuke hissed before moving down, latching onto Naruto's neck, sucking hard on the flesh, probably leaving an impressive love bite.   
  
Naruto's hands moved across Sasuke's chest, loving the play of muscles underneath his palms as he ran them down the body poised above him. Wanting more he grabbed the hem of Sasuke's t-shirt, pulling it up, letting his hands play with the soft skin now readily available.   
  
Sasuke seemed to find that very inspiring as he kept his weight on one hand, allowing the other to play down Naruto's side, teasing along the sensitive flesh before starting to unbutton the front.   
  
"Shit, Sasuke," Naruto moaned into the kiss as his hands ghosted across Naruto's abdomen, trailing around the tattoo that circled his bellybutton, up across a peck to tease across a pert nipple. Fingers tightened around the nub enough to have Naruto arcing off the couch in the sudden pleasure/pain that flew through his body.   
  
Naruto wanted more, wanted to feel Sasuke against him, no clothes between their bodies. Pushing back on Sasuke's chest he got the raven to lean back on his knees. Naruto was quick to pull off his t-shirt, before wriggling out of his own shirt. He used the opportunity to get a good, long gaze at the perfect specimen of the human race before his eyes. Porcelain skin, taut muscles, dark eyes filled with heat, a delicious mouth that stretched into a feral looking grin. Fuck, Sasuke was perfection.   
  
He reached out, a hand gently rubbing against the soft fabric of Sasuke's pyjama pants, finding the erection that was straining against the cotton. Naruto knew exactly what he wanted, and didn’t hesitate. Grabbing Sasuke's hips he flipped them over, Sasuke now resting on the couch, looking up at him, surprise and then amusement flashing over his dark eyes.  
  
Naruto just grinned down at him before grabbing the hem of the pyjama pants pulling them down lean hips until Sasuke's member sprang free, tip glistening with precum. He kinda loved that Sasuke was going commando, made this a whole lot easier for him. Naruto leaned in, his tongue darting out to taste the drop that blossomed on that reddening head, moaning when the uniquely bitter taste that would forever remind him of Sasuke hit his tongue.   
  
He flicked his tongue underneath the head of the cock, traced it along the vein running underneath it, licked against balls that were tight against his body. He wanted to touch everything, taste everything. He heard the otherwise so stoic Uchiha moan under his ministrations, and found the sound absolutely breath-taking. He wanted to hear that more, wanted to see Sasuke unravel completely.  
  
Finally closing his lips around the tip of his cock he slowly allowed his mouth to move down the steely   
length, struggling a bit to overcome his gag reflex until he could finally take all of Sasuke inside, swallowing against him in a way that had Sasuke's hand fly to bury itself in Naruto's hair again, tugging at the strands, encouraging him to move.   
  
Creating light suction Naruto slowly moved back up, leaving the cock shiny with spit and precum. He looked up at Sasuke, amazed at the look on the raven's face. His eyes were heavily lidded, a blush tinted his otherwise pale cheeks, and his lips were softly parted, soft breaths escaping. He looked stunning, and it made Naruto swell with pride to know this was all his doing.   
  
He set to the task at hand in a sudden burst of eagerness, moving up and down the length, lips and tongue working together to create enough pleasure to have Sasuke come hard, like he longed to see. His hand trailed up a pale thigh until he could cup Sasuke's balls, brushing his thumb across the soft skin.   
  
It felt amazing, having Sasuke's long cock in his mouth, the taste of him, and the feel of him as he filled his mouth completely, feeling Sasuke slowly unravelling underneath him. Soon Sasuke just couldn’t lie still anymore, his hips twitching as he obviously tried to keep from thrusting deep down Naruto's throat. Naruto increased the tempo, feeling his cheeks protest slightly with the unfamiliar pressure of giving a blow job, something he hadn’t done in at least a year, if not two. He ignored the slight pain, the pleasure of giving Sasuke this pleasure overpowering any discomfort.   
  
"Fuck, Naruto, I'm gonna.." he heard Sasuke muttering above him. Naruto grinned around the cock, humming a little before moving up and down a couple more times, until he found Sasuke grow tense underneath him, and his mouth suddenly became flooded with warm cum. Naruto swallowed happily, keeping his eyes locked on Sasuke the entire time, memorizing the look of pure pleasure on his face as he came, mouth falling open in a heady moan, eyes scrunching closed as pleasure throbbed through him. There was a sheen of sweat on his brow, his bangs sticking to it.   
  
Naruto finally pulled away after having swallowed every drop Sasuke had given him, licking his cock clean to make sure he hadn’t left any. The taste of cum was heavy in his mouth as he moved up Sasuke's body, finding his lips in a hard kiss, his tongue pressing into Sasuke's mouth, wanting the raven to get a feel of just how delicious he tasted.   
  
His own cock was eager to get some attention, but Naruto tried to ignore it as well as he could. This right now was about Sasuke, about him maybe dropping a few of his shields, about the two of them getting closer. Sure, Naruto would want nothing more than to see Sasuke's pretty mouth around his cock, or feel his ass clench around it, or those gorgeous hands wrapped around it, but for now he wouldn't mind if he had to slink away to get a cold shower either, he was just happy they had shared this moment, that he had been able to see Sasuke this vulnerable, this… _sexy_.  
  
Sasuke let Naruto kiss him for a moment, before he wrapped his arms around his waist, pulling Naruto off of him so they lay side by side on the couch, pressed up against each other. He sucked Naruto's bottom lip into his mouth, teeth nibbling on it as his hands danced down his abdomen, fingers barely brushing against him, making his muscles tense in anticipation of what might come next.  
  
Those fingers came to the waistband of his slacks where they traced along skin until they dipped just underneath the fabric to brush along the top of Naruto's ass. Naruto couldn't help the way his hips started thrusting against Sasuke's leg where it was pressed against him. He was so turned on he thought he was about to burst. This sexual tension had been building for weeks, ever since Las Vegas, and having it finally come to something was maddeningly delicious.  
  
The hand followed the same path back to his abdomen and popped the button of Naruto's fly. All too slowly Sasuke proceeded to drag down the zipper tab, while still teasing him with kisses and nips and licks to his lips and tongue. Naruto had never been so turned on in his life, and he could not believe that not only had Sasuke been nice to him all day, he was about to make him cum in his pants, possibly embarrassingly early with how things were looking right about now.  
  
Finally the zipper tab reached the bottom, and Sasuke started tugging at the pants. Naruto helped as much as he could, lifting his hips and shimmying to get them down his hips. Sasuke didn't seem to have much patience, so the pants were barely bunched under his ass before a hand dipped into his boxer brief, cupping his cock. Naruto couldn’t help the hiss that flew from his mouth at the feeling of a warm hand against his aching cock.   
  
Sasuke's hand wrapped itself around him, circling him with a firm grip. Naruto had to concentrate not to come immediately, trying to bring up all kinds of unattractive images in his mind, but finding that having Sasuke pressed up against him with a hand on his cock made it awful hard to concentrate on anything but the sensations running through him as that hand started slowly moving, exploring his hard length.  
  
He kept a tight pressure as he moved up the length, going agonizingly slow. When he finally reached the flare of Naruto's cock he let his thumb flick across the head, dragging the precum across it. Naruto threw his head back and pressed his eyes shut, allowing the pleasure of Sasuke touching him to soar through his body.   
  
Sasuke moved his mouth down to Naruto's neck, nibbling and sucking and licking at the sensitive flesh as his hands started pumping in earnest. Naruto's neck was even more sensitive than it had used to be, the new skin not having had time to toughen properly since being ripped to shreds some weeks ago, so every time Sasuke sucked or bit it sent shivers down his back. It felt so good to have Sasuke this close, his warm body pressed up against him, his lips on him, his hands. It was a hundred times better than he could have ever imagined it would have been.  
  
Sasuke's lips moved across a collarbone, teeth nipping gently before he leaned down and pulled one of Naruto' dusky nipples into his mouth, sucking hard. Naruto couldn’t help the moan that ripped from his throat, and soon he found himself unable to stop making sounds as he sped towards his orgasm, feeling his balls draw close to his body who tensed in anticipation.  
  
"Ah, Sasuke, I'm gonna cum," he groaned. In response, Sasuke's hand sped up, thumb sliding across the sensitive head on every upstroke until Naruto's orgasm overtook him. He felt his whole world zeroing in on the pleasure that tore through him as ropes of cum erupted from his cock, splashing across Sasuke's hand and their bodies. Sasuke kept on lazily moving up his length until Naruto was completely and utterly spent.  
  
Naruto managed to blink his eyes open just in time to see Sasuke lift a hand stained with sticky, white cum to his mouth, sucking a finger in between those perfect lips. They quirked into a wicked grin as he sucked every drop of cum off of them. There was something so erotic with the vision of Sasuke eating his cum that Naruto would have gotten hard all over again if his body wasn’t so incredibly spent from intense orgasm.   
  
"Fuck, Sasuke," he muttered, finding it hard to form any coherent thoughts.  
  
"Maybe next time."


	16. Chapter 16

Naruto stepped out of the elevator mid-yawn, and was met with snickers. He looked around and saw Kiba and Kankuro standing in the kitchen nook, nursing coffee cups and looking very amused. As well as disappointingly un-hungover. From what Naruto could remember of last night they had been almost as drunk as he was, but they looked no worse for wear. He'd kind of hoped he could have rubbed his awesome recovery time in their faces.  
  
"You're not too hung-over to come into work then?" Kiba asked, grinning wide enough to show off his slightly pointy canines.   
  
"I have no idea what you are talking about," Naruto said, sticking his tongue out when he saw Kankuro roll his eyes at him.   
  
"I didn’t know you were such a lightweight, Naruto, letting Uchiha beat you in a drinking contest like that."  
  
"Shut up, mutt! I let the bastard win!"  
  
"Yeah, right." Kiba didn’t sound too convinced with that explanation, his lips twisting into a wry grin.   
  
Naruto just stalked past them, pouring himself a cup of coffee, pretending to be very upset with them, but not managing it very well, on account of the smile that were plastered on his face. Today had been a good day. Sasuke had stopped being a total asshole, and then they'd hung out, and there had been sex, and then… Ok, well then Naruto had gone home to get changed because they needed to head for work, so that had been decidedly less fun.   
  
He walked over to his desk, plopping down onto his chair, noticing that it didn’t look like Sasuke was in yet. Kiba followed him like a puppy dog, and leaned his ass against Naruto's desk.   
  
"You get home alright? Last I saw Sasuke was dragging your ass out of the bar. We were hoping he wouldn’t just dump you on a street corner, but we weren’t sure."   
  
"He didn’t leave me on a street corner," Naruto said, skipping the whole getting home business, seeing as how he hadn’t actually gotten home until just two hours ago.   
  
Kiba nodded, seemingly pleased with the answer, until his eyes suddenly narrowed, zeroing in on…Naruto's neck. Naruto flinched and hitched his shoulders up, hoping the shirt collar rode up enough to hide…  
  
"Is that a hickey?!" Kiba suddenly exclaimed, effectively getting the attention of the rest of the office. Even Kakashi stuck his head out his office door, suddenly very interested in what was going on. The pervert.  
  
"No, no, I dunno what you are talking about," Naruto sputtered, wishing Kiba would just let it go. Naruto had hoped the fact that he buttoned up his shirt properly for once would hide the marks on his neck, but apparently not good enough.  
  
"Woah, those were not there last night, what the hell happened after you left? Did you hit another bar? Weren't you like passed out already? Oh! Do you have some secret girlfriend we don't know about? Or wait! Did you go on a date before work? You dog." Kiba grinned madly as he listed up the possibilities, Naruto just tried not to blush, while trying to figure out which one of the explanations would make the most sense, because his head was not managing the task of figuring out any good ones by himself right now.   
  
"That's really none of your business," Naruto just muttered, turning to switch on the computer.  
  
"Aw, come on, I wanna know! I won't tell anyone, I swear," Kiba pleaded. Who knew Kiba was so into gossip?  
  
Naruto looked around the office, and saw people pretending to work, but actually listening intently. The girls were sitting at their computers, hands poised on the keyboard, fingers frozen. Kankuro was grinning and staring openly. Neji might seem like he was working, but he hadn't flipped over a page on the folder he was reading since Kiba's exclamation. Kakashi was even sitting on the steps that lead to his office, not even bothering to pretend to be doing anything but snooping. Naruto rolled his eyes.   
  
"Sorry, Kiba, not gonna tell you anything," he said with a lopsided grin. Naruto wasn’t stupid, he knew Sasuke would most likely kill him if he went around telling the office. Sasuke was a very private man, and Naruto had every intention of honouring that. Besides, he didn’t really know what was happening between the two of them, if this was a onetime thing, or if this was a start of a relationship or something else altogether, and right now he didn’t want to ruin it before it even had the time to get started properly. If Sasuke wanted to be with him they'd tell the others, eventually.   
  
Kiba pouted, but let it rest. Kakashi complained of people who wouldn’t give him all the juicy details before he slinked back to his office. Naruto settled down to start typing up the paperwork from last night, only looking up when the elevator dinged open. He looked up to see Sasuke stepping out, looking just as good as ever. He had that scowl that always seemed to be on his face — _except for when he comes,_ Naruto mused — his hair was the same, his clothes the usual white shirt and dark pants, but something felt different still. Naruto didn’t know if only he could notice, because he actually knew why that might be, but yeah, he seemed different.   
  
Sasuke walked past his desk, offering a small hello as he took his own place, turning on his computer. Naruto silently cheered inside. Sure, a hello wasn’t much, but coming from Sasuke, who never ever greeted him, it was monumental.   
  
"Hey, Sasuke, you know who Naruto hooked up with last night?" Kiba asked, turning towards Sasuke.   
  
"Last night? No idea," Sasuke muttered. Naruto noted that he cleverly avoided actually lying. It wasn’t like Naruto had hooked up with anyone last night, that hadn’t happened until today. He tried to smother the grin that rose on his face as he met Sasuke's dark eyes. His partner had a much better poker face than he had, but luckily Kiba didn’t seem to notice Naruto's look, he was too busy speculating who Naruto had met up with, going as far as to ask all both Temari and Sakura if they were the ones. Obviously Kiba didn’t know Naruto wasn’t completely straight, so the idea that it was a guy seemingly hadn’t crossed his mind. The idea that it was Sasuke was probably farfetched enough that it would never cross his mind though, as far as the others knew Sasuke and Naruto pretty much hated each other.  
  
Naruto spent the next minutes just talking with Kiba, rejoicing in the fact that not only had he just had mind-blowingly awesome sex, but he was now spending time with an actual friend. He kinda wished he could go back in time to teenaged Naruto and tell that little brat that things most definitely got better, eventually.  
  
His conversation was cut off by Sasuke who was suddenly standing next to him, arms crossed.  
  
"So, you gonna gossip with Inuzuka all night, or are you ready to hit the field?" Sasuke's voice was gruff as usual, but Naruto wasn't too bothered by it anymore. It was hard to really take offence when the image of that same face scrunched up as he orgasmed still fresh on his mind.  
  
"Sure, yeah, I'm ready," he said, getting up from his chair and following Sasuke towards the elevator.  
  
"Yo, Uchiha, maybe if you got laid you wouldn’t be so damned uptight all the time," Kiba yelled after the two of them, and Naruto only barely managed to keep his composure until they were inside the elevator, doors closed behind them.  
  
"Not a word, Uzumaki," Sasuke mumbled just as Naruto cracked up completely, laughter echoing in the small room.   
  


***

  
The following day had Sasuke wake up to an empty apartment, just like he had every day since he bought the place, apart from yesterday. It was odd how the apartment suddenly felt so much emptier than it had used to, just because there wasn't a blond snoring on his couch.   
  
The shift yesterday had been highly uneventful, the nearest they came to seeing a vampire was a pissed off cat that tried to take a swipe at his leg with his claws. Naruto and he spent most of the time walking silently next to each other. Sasuke had no idea what to say, and for once Naruto was silent as well.   
  
But where he wasn’t talking his mind was spinning madly. Last day had been a series first for him. The first time he allowed anyone to stay over, the first time he cooked for anyone, the first time he slept with someone not just because he was horny and had to scratch that itch, but because he wanted to. He hadn’t wanted sex, he had wanted Naruto, and that idea alone was alien and puzzling to him.   
  
They'd separated rather awkwardly after their shift, settling with a muttered goodbye as Sasuke headed down to the parking garage and Naruto stayed behind to talk to Kiba for a short while. Sasuke had no idea if he should have said something more profound, or done something, like ask him back home? Sasuke had no idea what Naruto was expecting, and he certainly had no idea what he wanted himself. Nothing yesterday had been planned out in any way, and however good it had felt at the time he couldn't quite help the doubt that was seeping into his thoughts now. There was a reason he hadn’t allowed himself to get close to anyone, and that reason hadn't changed in the slightest. Which reminded him, he needed to check his messages. He always checked his private messages first thing when he woke, but it had completely slipped his mind yesterday on account of Naruto.  
  
Walking over to his office on bare feet he pushed open the door and walked towards the computer he kept there. His mind was instantly drawn to the picture standing next to it, the one personal item he had kept from his childhood home. A constant reminder to why he was doing what he was doing.   
  
He could just vaguely remember when the family photo had been taken. He remembered being a brat, complaining about the stiff shirt his mother made him wear, and he remembered how Itachi poked his forehead and told him to behave. The image was nothing out of the ordinary, just a family photo like thousands of others, too stiff, too posed, but it was the last one they'd taken before…   
  
Sasuke looked away, not ready to go down that path. He fired up his computer instead, accessing his inbox. He had contacts in all parts of the world, and was waiting for one of them to give him that one crucial lead that would lead him to the revenge he'd been searching for ever since he lost his family. He had hoped the added information of Hidan and Kakuzu would have helped, but so far there was nothing. It was frustrating to say the least. If Itachi was really still walking around somewhere there had to be some creep that had seen him, someone who knew something. It wasn’t like vampires could turn invisible, he was out there somewhere, feeding on the innocent, waiting for a chance to destroy Sasuke completely.  
  
There were exactly one new message waiting for him, and the subject field told him that it at least wasn’t spam. _Re: Itachi Uchiha._  
  
The contact was one of his shadier ones, a member of a drug cartel down in Mexico. He usually had all the good intel on who crossed the border between the US and Mexico, and what they might be planning to bring in, it wasn’t like crystal meth was the worst thing that made their way to American streets anymore.  
  
It was a bust, yet again. He had no knowledge of anyone matching Hidan and Kakuzu's description, had nothing new on Itachi, and was generally no fucking help. Angrily Sasuke shut off his computer and stalked back to his bedroom to find clothes. His mood had gone from contemplative to pissed off at the world, and he needed an outlet to vent. He needed to go for a run. A really, really long run.   
  


***

  
A few hours later Sasuke was freshly showered and had cleared his head enough that he could go into the office without biting anyone's head off, or at least he thought so. He pulled on his clothes a bit more forcefully that usually, getting seriously agitated when the zipper of his slacks caught on the fabric, and almost ripped the metal tab off completely as he yanked on it.  
  
Finally dressed he drove over to the office, throwing a middle finger at a couple of cars, honking at a few others, and chewing yet a few others out. Sasuke was in a foul mood, and he was well aware. He was confused about the whole Naruto incident, and pissed off because the demon he was hunting was always lingering out of reach, taunting him.   
  
Stalking out of the elevator and over to his desk, hoping to dear god that there would be vampires to be killed tonight he didn’t lift his gaze until he was firmly placed behind his computer screen and noticed laughter. He glanced over the screen and saw several of his co-workers gathered around Neji's desk. Sakura and Kiba was sitting on the desk in front of Neji's, while Naruto had propped himself on top of Neji's desk. Neji was sitting in his chair, but they'd pulled up another one as well, and in it sat a dark haired girl that looked startling alike to Neji. She looked oddly familiar, but it took Sasuke a few moments to place her as the girl they'd saved from the student house a while ago, Neji's cousin or sister or something of sorts. He wanted to say that her name was Hinata? Neji had mentioned her a couple of times since they'd saved her. She looked different now though, less frightened, and more… terrified? Her eyes were slightly wide, and her cheeks tainted red. Sasuke had no idea what that was for, and didn’t really care until he saw just who Hinata was casting stolen glances up at.   
  
Naruto was munching on a cupcake, laughing around the chocolate at something Kiba said. When he noticed Sasuke glaring at him he just waved with a grin. "Sasuke! Come and have cupcakes, Hinata baked!"  
  
Sasuke just glared some more. She… baked?   
  
"Hinata, these are so good," Naruto praised, and Sasuke noticed that her reddened cheeks only darken as she glanced down at her lap where her fingers were currently picking at the edge of her shirt. Sasuke might be really shit with people, but he knew enough to realise what her reaction was indicative of. She was obviously crushing on Naruto, and he didn’t like that one bit.   
  
"I… I just… wanted to say thank you," the girl said meekly, daring a glance up at Naruto who smiled back at her, happily taking another bite of the chocolate cupcake, smearing frosting on his chin. It should look absolutely stupid, but Sasuke was momentarily struck by the idea of wanting to lick that chocolate off. And he didn’t even like chocolate.   
  
"You don't have to say thank you," Naruto said, mouth full of cake as he leaned forward on the desk, placing a hand on her shoulder in an act he probably thought was friendly. Sasuke noticed the way Hinata tensed though, her eyes shifting to the hand on her shoulder before darting away again. Sasuke didn’t like this one bit, didn’t like Naruto touching someone else so flippantly, didn’t like the way she looked at him. Intellectually he knew it was probably a case of hero worship, Naruto had saved her from being killed by vampires, and she'd latched on. Probably didn’t hurt that he was handsome either.   
  
It wasn’t that he thought that Naruto would do anything with her, he probably didn’t even realise what Hinata was feeling, it was more the thought that… maybe Naruto should do something with her. She was just a normal girl, and she'd probably be a lot better for Naruto than Sasuke could be. She looked to be pulling through the vampire attack just fine, at least if what Neji had told them was true. He'd overheard Kakashi asking about her just the other day, and Neji said she was doing surprisingly well, that she was seeing a therapist to help her, and that she was remarkably strong, already planning to re-enter college to finish her degree next term.  
  
Sasuke had been sent to a therapist as well, after the attack he'd survived, but he'd shut down, refused to talk, and stopped going as soon as possible. He had buried himself in darkness where she seemed to search for the light. And who was lighter than Naruto? She'd probably be a lot better for Naruto than he himself could be. He didn’t do relationships after all, not real ones were you actually cared for the others.   
  
Tearing his eyes away from Naruto and Hinata he turned towards his computer, glad to see that they had been assigned a quadrant to patrol already. He really, really needed to get out there and kill something already.  
  


***

  
Naruto glanced over towards his partners, and saw Sasuke's lips pressed into a thin line, his brows furrowed into a scowl as he stared at the street in front of them. His hand was clenched around his katana, and he hadn’t said a single word to Naruto all night apart from what was absolutely necessary. He was clearly in a foul mood, and Naruto had no idea what was wrong. Sasuke had seemed just fine when they parted ways yesterday, however awkward it had been. Naruto had wanted to ask if they should hang out again, but hadn’t had the guts to do so, too afraid of rejection.  
  
Was Sasuke regretting what they'd done? Was he cursing himself and plotting up ways to get rid of Naruto now? Naruto wouldn’t put it past him, but he couldn’t help the slight hurt at that thought.   
  
He wanted to say something to break the tension, wanted to know what Sasuke was thinking and see if there was anything he could do to make him snap out of it. He hated this closed-off Sasuke, hated that he was reverting back to that already. He had hoped that the day they shared would be the beginning of something new.  
  
He was still racking his brain for something to say that wouldn’t just piss Sasuke off further when a high-pitched scream grabbed their attention. They were running before the scream died out, all frustrations and thoughts forgotten as they slipped into work mode. Heavy boots brought them flying towards the place where the sound seemed to have come from, and a new scream told them that they had the direction right as they crossed the street, barely avoiding a taxi that came speeding towards them. They saw two young men running towards them, but neither matched the decidedly female scream they'd heard. One of the guys saw the weapons and the badges and put two and two together. "Back… back by the coffee shop," he said as he ran past them, too frightened to stop. Smart guy. Not enough people ran from the things that went bump in the night, too slow to react, too curious.  
  
Naruto could see the coffee shop up ahead, locked at this time of night, windows intact, so whoever they were chasing, rapist or murderer or vampire would probably not be inside. There was an alley right by the shop though. Alleys were… never a good thing.  
  
Drawing his gun Naruto ran around the corner, eyes taking in the scene, brain quickly assessing the situation. A girl lying on the ground, motionless. Probably the one who had screamed. A man was standing in front of them, a pale arm wrapped around his neck that was most decidedly not his. The man was quiet, but Naruto could see him trembling slightly. Behind the man was the one they were chasing, the one who owned the pale arm. Red eyes flashed at them from above the victim's shoulder as he pulled down the tall collar of the jacket the man wore and made to plant his elongated fangs deep in that neck.   
  
The victim was wearing a pair of perfectly round sunglasses, even now at night, so Naruto couldn’t make out his eyes, but he had seen enough people in the same situation to know imagine the panic probably evident in them. He didn’t hesitate as he lifted his gun, trained it just above the man's shoulder were the vampire's face was barely visible in the shadows, and pulled the trigger.   
  
The vampire reacted instantaneously, throwing the man he had been about to bite to the side, sending him headfirst into the brick wall as he took off down the alley, having dodged the bullet.   
  
Naruto noticed Sasuke fly past him, katana at the ready, and trusted his partner to take care of the vampire. He himself quickly stepped over to the two people lying on the ground. The girl had long blonde hair pulled into a pony tail, but it was slowly getting darkened by the blood that was pooling around her, slowly trickling from her torn-out neck. She was long gone. Hurrying over to the man Naruto kneeled by him. He'd scared the vampire away before he could bite, and only two small scratches showed where the fangs had been about to sink deep. There was still a lot of blood though, and when Naruto turned him over on his back it quickly became apparent where it was coming from.   
  
The side of his skull was caved in, a mess of blood and bone and pink tissue. One lens of the man's sunglasses had cracked, and the eye beneath was staring dully up at the sky.   
  
Naruto looked away, felt his jaw set as he clenched his teeth shut, trying to stop the scream that threatened to rise. They'd failed. The guy was dead, had died while they were there, had died right in front of them. He was pissed off at the world, but knew there wasn’t anything he could do now but his job. He pulled out his cell and called in for a team to come and take care of the aftermath. The vampire would need to be disposed of, and the victims would need to be taken in, families notified and funerals arranged.   
  
He glanced back at the body, disgusted to see a cockroach crawl up the man's leg. What a horrible place to die, in a dirty alley like this, garbage and bugs all around. He brushed the roach away and stepped on it.  
  
As he straightened up he heard footsteps closing in and he looked up just as Sasuke stepped around one of the Dumpsters lining the alley, dark blood dripping from his blade. At least the vampire hadn’t been able to escape to hurt anyone else, however small of a comfort that was.   
  
Their eyes met, and Naruto saw the question Sasuke wanted to ask. He didn’t want to answer, wanted to have good news, because Sasuke had been in a shitty mood already, and Naruto knew Sasuke would take this personally.   
  
"They're both gone," Naruto said quietly. There was no point in lying, the couple was lying still on the ground, blood thick and sticky around them.   
  
Sasuke didn’t say anything, but Naruto saw the anger in his eyes, the frustration, the feeling of failure. The hand not holding his katana fisted at his side, and suddenly snapped out, hitting the brick wall hard. Naruto flinched and got to his feet, stepping over to Sasuke. There was nothing he could do for either of the two lying on the ground but his partner was still alive, and was obviously struggling with something more than just what happened here.  
  
Sasuke was staring down at his fist, the broken skin on the knuckles, like he was seeing it but not really registering it. It looked… bad. Naruto wouldn’t be surprised if he'd fractured his hand, and he'd definitely need to get it cleaned and bandaged up.  
  
"Sasuke," he said, reaching out a hand towards his shoulder, offering up some comfort. Sasuke flinched and pulled away, stalking out of the alley.   
  
The minutes waiting for the clean-up crew to arrive were long. They were standing by the mouth of the alley, Sasuke ignoring Naruto and just scowling at nothing, while Naruto was rolling on the balls of his feet, aching to say something, do something.   
  
The car ride back to the office was equally awkward, with Sasuke ignoring him completely. When they finally parked Sasuke made no move to get out of the car. He just stared out of the wind shield, hands clutching the wheel like he wanted to crush it. He looked… furious.   
  
Naruto hesitated, not knowing what he could say to make things okay. He didn’t come up with anything that didn’t sound totally lame before Sasuke pushed away from the wheel, heading out of the car and towards the elevator. Naruto scrambled to follow, slamming the door shut behind him and hearing the beep of the car locking down as Sasuke pressed the button on his key.   
  
Hurrying after his partner Naruto contemplated just waiting for the next elevator to avoid the awkwardness, but stepped inside when the cart came. He wanted answers. It wasn’t just that they hadn’t been able to save the two back in the alley, Sasuke had been in a shitty mood all day, and Naruto was afraid it was because of him. He knew that what they had done the other day, however normal it might seem to anyone else, would be something quite out of the ordinary for Sasuke. The dark-haired agent had seemingly never allowed anyone close, had fought Naruto every step of the way, so it wouldn’t be that much of a leap to assume that maybe Sasuke was regretting everything. Which infuriated Naruto. He hadn’t slept with Sasuke just because he was horny, he did it because he genuinely cared about his partner, however hard it was to see why with how much of a prissy asshole Sasuke could be at times. It had meant something for Naruto, but he was worried that it hadn’t meant a damned thing to Sasuke.   
  
He wasn’t sure if it was because adrenaline was finally leaving his system, or if the shifter part of him just made his emotions more volatile, but he found himself focusing all his frustrations and upset into anger. Sasuke wasn’t the only one who had failed the two in the alley, Sasuke wasn’t the only one who was confused with what had happened between them.   
  
He turned towards Sasuke, eyes narrowing. He was over tiptoeing around whatever issues Sasuke had.  
  
"What the hell is your problem?" he hissed.  
  
Sasuke seemed to suddenly realise he wasn’t alone in the elevator, and he looked at Naruto, blank expression on his face. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"Something is obviously wrong, and it's not just what happened back there. You've been weird all day. What, couldn’t stay nice for more than a day?"  
  
Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed. "I do not have the energy for this right now, Naruto," he said, his voice low and insistent.   
  
"Well, fuck you!" Naruto half-shouted, only catching himself when he realised just where they were, someone could come into the elevator at any point. "I'm not sure what I did wrong, but you could talk to me rather than just become a bitch again."  
  
"Everything isn’t about you, Naruto." Sasuke's eyes were dark and furious.  
  
"Do you regret the other day?" Naruto said suddenly, scared of what the answer might be.   
  
"It was… a mistake," Sasuke finally said, not even looking at Naruto.  
  
The elevators chose that exact moment to announce its arrival on their floor, and Sasuke quickly moved out of it, leaving Naruto behind. Naruto stared at the back of his head, feeling hurt spread through him like poison. He barely remembered how his legs worked in time to get out of the elevator cart before the doors slid shut. He wanted to scream at Sasuke for being an asshole and a pussy and a bastard, but there were others in the office, and he didn’t want them to know, didn’t want them to know that Naruto had stupidly thought that maybe Sasuke could change.   
  
"I'm going home, you can give Kakashi the rundown, and I'll make my written report tomorrow," Naruto said as he walked over to his desk, grabbing his stuff from the desk drawer and heading towards the elevator. He really was in no mood to deal with Sasuke's shit right now. Here he had thought they had something special between them, but obviously not. Naruto needed some air, and he needed to punch something.   
  
He knew he probably had no right to be so angry, so hurt. It wasn’t like they were a couple, they'd never talked about any feelings or what it meant, they'd just fucked once, but he was finding it hard to keep his emotions in check. He wasn’t sure if it was just how he was or if it was the beast, but he'd always founds that his emotions were always on the surface, swinging from one extreme to another. He also knew he had a tendency to seek out human contact and latch on. It had led him to be hurt before, and obviously it was destined to lead him to be hurt again. It wouldn’t be the first time he had been used, but it seemed to be the one that hurt the most.  
  
He hated this feeling, this feeling of hurt and betrayal and anger. He had thought there was something, where there obviously was nothing.   
  
Well, if that was how Sasuke was going to deal with this, then Naruto wasn’t going to do anything about that. If Sasuke wasn’t interested, then Naruto wasn’t interested in anything other than a purely professional relationship with the other man either. They'd just go back to their usual routine of ignoring one another whenever they could. Naruto wouldn’t have a problem with that at all. Nope, not at all.  
  
Fuck, how was he going to do this, keep on working with a guy that had used him, and now obviously wanted nothing more to do with him? How could he just keep on as if nothing had happened when his treacherous heart felt like it was breaking into a million pieces?


	17. Chapter 17

Iruka was worried. Sure, the text he had just gotten from Naruto in inquiry of how he was doing said “fine”. Problem was that it was all it said. No exclamation marks, no caps lock, no long rants about what was going on in his life. Something was obviously wrong.   
  
He looked down at the sandwich he was supposed to eat for lunch and pushed it away with a frown. He was too worried to eat.   
  
Naruto was as much a son to him as a biological child would ever be, and they only had each other. As Naruto had grown to trust him a deep bond of trust and understanding had grown between them, and Naruto had never been afraid to share whatever he was thinking about, the good, the bad or the truly awful. Naruto liked to talk, and wasn’t shy when it came to the subjects, so for him to be this short in a message meant something really was up.  
  
Iruka knew Naruto was a grown man by now, old enough to deal with most problems, but he was still his son, and Iruka wanted more than anything to keep him safe from the harm in the world. He’d done a poor job of it as Naruto grew up, but the teen had never once complained about how Iruka just never seemed to protect him from the bullies and the tormentors.   
  
Iruka checked his watch, noting that it had just passed noon. He still had fifteen minutes until class started. Walking over to close the door to his classroom, shutting off the noise of kids running down the hallways he pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialled Naruto. It ringed four times before he picked up.   
  
Naruto usually greeted Iruka with fervour, no matter what time of the day it was, but now he sounded... subdued. “Hi, dad, what’s up?”  
  
Iruka scratched at his nose, not really having thought out what to say.  
  
“Naruto, can’t a dad just call to check up on his kid?”  
  
“Didn’t I just answer that in a message?” Naruto said, stifling a yawn. Iruka heard rustling in the background, as if he was shifting on his bed. He’d probably worked last night, only now getting up.   
  
“We both know you’re not really fine, Naruto,” Iruka said bluntly.   
  
He was met with silence on the other end.  
  
“What’s really bothering you? I wish you didn’t live so far away, I hardly get to speak to you anymore, and the last time I saw you were in the hospital.” The image of Naruto lying in that hospital bed, hooked up to machines and tubes was still fresh on his mind.  
  
“Yeah, I know. I miss you too, you know?”   
  
“Is everything okay at work?”   
  
More silence, before there was a hesitant answer. “Work is fine, it really is.”  
  
Iruka knew enough about his son to know that there was something he was ignoring to say. “But something is obviously not okay.”  
  
There was a sigh on the other side of the line. “You’re too perceptive, you know that right? A light chuckle, humourless, followed before he continued, apparently realising that he might as well tell him. “There’s just some stuff with Sasuke…”  
  
“Your partner? I never got to meet him, but you complained about him a lot in the beginning. Haven’t heard you mention him for a while.”  
  
“Yeah, it’s… complicated.”  
  
“Naruto…” Iruka prompted.  
  
“We weren’t getting along at all, but then he seemed like he might warm up to me, and then… we had sex, and now everything is messed up.” Naruto said bluntly.  
  
Iruka couldn’t quite help the way his cheeks reddened and his eyebrows lifted in surprise. He never would get used to hearing about his son’s sex life, however glad he was for the openness between them.   
  
“Dad?”  
  
Iruka realised he’d quite forgotten to actually say anything back. “Was it, uhm, just sex, or is there something else between you?” he asked, stumbling a bit in the word sex, hoping to hell that none of his students were listening at the door.   
  
“I… don’t know. I mean, I think I like him, or I did at least. I don’t know about him though, I’m not sure he’s really capable of liking someone. He’s… difficult to understand.”  
  
“So, you didn’t really talk about what it would mean before, uhm, doing it then?”  
  
Naruto hesitated for a moment. “No, it just… kind of happened I guess.”  
  
“So maybe neither of you were ready to sleep with each other?”   
  
Naruto seemed to ignore that as he went on. “He’s such an asshole now though. It’s like he went back to how he was at the beginning, like he hates me,” he said silently.   
  
Iruka heard the hurt in his voice clearly. Naruto had been disappointed over and over again in his life, and even though he tried to be strong, Iruka knew how strongly it affected him. He’d been so glad when Naruto had started working at the DPA, because from what he heard he was accepted there like he’d never been accepted back home, and even though he put his life on the line every single day, nearly dying at one point, he finally seemed to be truly happy. He did not need anyone ruining this for him.   
  
“Naruto, do you want me to come visit? I could take a few days off and come see you?”  
  
“Nah, I’ll be fine, really. Even though it would be great to see you again. I kinda wish you lived nearby, it would be nice to see you more often.”  
  
The door to the classroom suddenly opened, a row of kids filing in, and Iruka realised he’d used up the time he’d had to talk. “I have to go now, class is about to start now. Just… call me whenever you need to talk, and take care of yourself? Don’t let one man get you down, you’re too good for that.”  
  
“Thank you dad, I love you.”  
  
“I love you too, Naruto, talk to you soon.”  
  
Iruka put away his phone, hardly reassured by the conversation he’d just had. He wanted to have a talk with this Sasuke about hurting his son, but he knew Naruto would have to deal with this on his own. All Iruka could do was to just be here for him, offering support. Which was harder to do now that Naruto lived so far away. He’d been flirting with the idea of moving, if not to the same city, at least closer. He didn’t have anything tying him to this town after all, besides his job. No family left, no boyfriend, no real friends. He’d found it hard to bond with people that looked at his son with fear or hatred, so for years it had only been him and Naruto against the world.   
  
He probably would have moved years ago if not for the fact that Naruto kept insisting that it would mean that _they_ won, and he didn’t want that. That and the fact that he’d need to find a new job, and it wasn’t easy to come by teaching positions that he was both qualified for and interested in. Maybe he’d have to start looking again.  
  


***

  
Sasuke opened the door to his apartment and dropped the key on the small table just inside the entrance. The sound echoed through the living room. The place was beyond depressing, big and empty and cold. He could not recall why had ever thought it would be a nice thing to buy, he should have just gotten a small place instead, it wasn’t like he needed much room anyway, it was just him here. Apart from that one day, when he had woken to someone else here with him, someone who seemed to fill the place with his mere presence, his laughter spreading warmth through the place that had never been there before.   
  
For those few precious hours Sasuke had felt something he hadn’t felt in years, a feeling of normalcy. It had felt so comfortable having Naruto around, having someone to share a meal with, someone who was so alive to crack through his shields and warm his ice-cold soul. He knew it had been foolish to indulge in it though, knew he had been stupid to allow himself to let Naruto this close, not just physically, but emotionally as well. No one else had managed to crack through his shields before, and it worried Sasuke. There was a reason he didn’t allow people close, the only people he had been close to before was all dead. His mother, his father, his brother. He couldn’t allow himself the luxury of opening his heart for anyone again. He had a mission in life, and that did not involve having someone close, someone he could lose. He always portrayed himself as strong, but he didn’t think he could deal with losing anyone else, so he rather never got close to anyone. Somehow Naruto had managed to worm his way too close for comfort though, and Sasuke had foolishly allowed it, and now he was paying the consequences.   
  
He had to let Naruto be, and now it was paining him more than it should. The thought of never being close to Naruto again, never seeing another of those brilliant smiles directed at him, never feel his warm body close to him, never feel those soft lips pressing against his again. Fuck, it hurt. It hurt like hell, but it had to be done. It wasn’t safe for anyone around him, less so now than ever now that he knew that Itachi was still around. To keep Naruto safe he had to keep him away and forget about his own feelings.   
  
Luckily it seemed like it would be a problem. Naruto had ignored him completely these last few days. They didn’t speak unless the mission required it, and then it was nothing more than simple phrases, no emotion behind them whatsoever. Whenever they were in the office Naruto completely ignored him. Sasuke could hear his warm laughter, but now it was always because of Kiba or Sakura or the others they worked with, never Sasuke. It seemed like it didn’t bother Naruto much at all that they weren’t talking actually. He looked just as happy as ever, sharing jokes with Kiba, slinging his arm around Sakura and ruffling her hair, laughing like mad whenever Lee started with his antics.   
  
Sasuke knew he should be happy that Naruto didn’t care much for what had happened between them, that he seemingly hadn’t seen it as more than a fling and moved on just fine, but Sasuke couldn’t deny that it did hurt. He wished circumstances were different, that he could have been with Naruto, but even though he knew it wasn’t to be it still hurt to see that he mattered so little to the blond after all. Naruto seemed to just be friendly with everyone, he had been nothing special.  
  
Walking into his office he dropped off a manila folder on the desk, before leaving for the shower. They’d dealt with a fresh turn, the demon having spent his newfound freedom from hell to tear a Walmart to shreds, killing anyone he could get his hands on and destroying the place in the process. The demon was dead now, its victims all disposed of so they wouldn’t turn, and the cleaners would be hard at work fixing the store, but the evening had left Sasuke covered in blood and various bits of food. He could identify a few of the splotches dotting his clothes, but had no idea what the rest were, and would rather not know. He just wanted to take a long shower, go to bed, and get up early to pursue a few of the leads he had pertaining to his brother.  
  
The water felt good as he rained over his body, taking the dirt and sweat on his skin to the drain, leaving paleness behind.   
  
Sasuke squirted a good dollop of shampoo into his palm, lifting it to his scalp and massaging the herbal-scented gloop in thoroughly, not wanting to leave any ketchup or blood or whatever red substance that was washing out of it behind. He scrubbed until his scalp started tingling before finally letting the water wash away the rest of the suds, leaving him with clean hair hanging into his eyes. With an annoyed huff he pushed it backwards, out of his face.   
  
He hated how his mind just wouldn’t shut up, Naruto popping into it constantly. Working together they were magnificent. Having sex had been mind-blowing. Naruto was… something out of the ordinary, and his mind could not seem to let him go. He tried to think of something else, but then Naruto’s face would just invade his brain again, pictures of Naruto smiling, Naruto fighting, Naruto with his mouth wrapped around Sasuke’s length…  
  
Fuck, he never knew Naruto would have been that talented with his mouth. How hot and wet he’d be, how that tongue would knew just how to tease to bring Sasuke to a mind-shattering orgasm. The look on Naruto’s face when he had come, the taste of his cum…  
  
Sasuke’s hand had somehow managed to sneak down to his cock all by itself, currently lazily running up and down the length who had become achingly hard just thinking about Naruto. Tightening the grip around himself he started working his length in earnest. How he wished Naruto was here with him, that it was Naruto’s hands against him. A wet and warm Naruto that he could twist around and pin against the shower wall.   
  
Sasuke’s eyes clenched shut as images of his partner naked and willing, ass thrust out, begging to be filled, brought him to a swift orgasm, his cum hitting the wall of the shower to be washed into the drain with the dirt. The orgasm left Sasuke feeling oddly… empty. Usually they’d leave him content and relaxed, now he just felt worse than ever. His imagination was nothing against the real deal, and seeing as how he knew he would never again have that this was not the pleasurable experience it usually would be.   
  
Angrily shutting off the shower Sasuke stalked towards the bedroom, water dripping from his naked body. He couldn’t muster up the energy for something so trivial as to dry off, he just wanted to go to sleep and forget everything.   
  


***

  
  
Naruto dropped to the floor of his living room, pushing his body up into a series of push-ups, counting them loudly as he went, not stopping until he came to fifty. His arms was starting to ache, so he dropped down and turned around, his abdomen tightening as he lifted his body up in a series of sit-ups.   
  
He had been at it for the last hour, pushing his body until it screamed in pain, pull-ups, jumps, weights. He had liked working out ever since his teens when he found that looking strong was a good way to not get beat up as often.   
  
Usually it was like mediation. He got so focused his mind just relaxed completely, allowing his body to push to its limits without any distractions. Now, not so much. His mind would not stop fretting over his partner, and it was driving him mad.   
  
Finally giving up the work-out for the day he dropped to the floor, chest moving rapidly as he tried to gather some breath and still his beating heart. He was drenched in sweat and he felt every muscle on his body aching. He had pushed himself a little too hard, and he knew he would regret it the next day.  
  
Lifting a hand to his face he rested it over his eyes, shutting out the glare of the lamp above him. He was getting increasingly frustrated, and it annoyed him that his work-out session hadn’t worked as intended. He just wanted to forget for a moment, but obviously his stupid brain did not want to participate. Sure, when he needed to remember historical facts for his exams it conveniently managed to forget everything, but now it held on to every single detail.   
  
He’d talked to his dad yesterday, and it had helped somewhat, but then he’d had a shift with Sasuke again, and the man had spent the entire night ignoring him, like he was a speck of dirt underneath his shoes, and absolutely not worthy of his time. His eyes avoided his, and he walked fast when they patrolled, making sure to stay in front of Naruto rather than walk beside him. Besides a calling out a warning or two as they demolished a Walmart together with a vampire, he hadn’t even acknowledged that he was there. At times Naruto almost felt like someone was watching him, but whenever he turned towards Sasuke the raven looked the other way, so it was probably just his mind playing nasty tricks on him.  
  
Naruto tried to ignore it, tried to just move on and forgot anything ever happened between them, but he just… couldn’t. his mind kept spinning back to everything that had happened, from the good to the bad, from Sasuke making breakfast for him and how he looked caught up in the throes of an orgasm and how it had felt to just spend time together, to how he had called it all a mistake, to how he refused to talk to him. Naruto felt like shit, and he hated it. He had allowed himself to think that Sasuke might maybe like him, but then it hadn’t meant anything, and that was too close to how everyone else had always treated him. He’d thought Sasuke was different, but maybe Naruto was just a notch on his belt. _Fuck a shifter, done, now to the next._  
  
He wanted to just forget about it, didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of having gotten to him, but he just couldn’t. He tried to make the best of the situation, hung out with Kiba and the others in the office, and at times he almost managed to ignore the whole Sasuke fiasco altogether, and he even laughed a few times, actually enjoying himself, but then he had to go out there with only Sasuke for company and he was right back at being miserable.   
  
Just one glance at Sasuke and every word Sasuke had said to him, from the nice to the shitty, every expression that had crossed his face (not that many to be honest), the feel of his porcelain skin, the taste of him, how his voice sounded when he was turned on, how his eyes always seemed to look straight through Naruto, but lately had avoided looking at him at all kept repeating in his mind, over and over, driving him fucking mad. He was pissed off at Sasuke, but it was apparent that his heart was not ready to let go of him yet, and how pathetic wasn’t that? One round of really good sex, and he’d latched on like a leech.  
  
Naruto still had no idea what had happened for Sasuke to snap so completely. They’d had a really nice day together, and the raven had been pleasurable enough the first day back at work, but something had changed. Had he finally realised that having a one-night stand with someone you worked with was a horrible idea, or had something else happened that made him pissy, and then Naruto had stupidly started pushing, and pissed him of royally? Or had Sasuke just realised he didn’t really like Naruto at all? Maybe Naruto actually had been really bad in bed? It had seemed like Sasuke had enjoyed it at the times, but it wasn’t like Naruto had a lot of experience after all.   
  
Groaning Naruto got to his feet and headed to the kitchen to get something to drink. The more he thought it over the more complicated it got. He just didn’t get it. Sasuke was a stupidly complicated man, and Naruto was regretting ever having gotten involved with him at all. He should have just gone home the moment he woke up in Sasuke’s apartment; it would have spared him a lot of heartache.   
  
He couldn’t deny it, he had feelings for Sasuke. Just what those feelings were he wasn’t quite sure, but he was attracted to him, he had looked up to the man, and had genuinely liked being around him, even if he was a moody bastard. Those feelings hadn’t gone away just because Sasuke obviously didn’t reciprocate them, and that meant Naruto was left having to try to ignore the twinge of pain that shot through him every time he had to go to work and see Sasuke. Sasuke ignored him, didn’t as much as spare him a glance in acknowledgment. Fucking asshole.   
  
Naruto didn’t know exactly what he wanted, but he knew he had wanted to explore things with Sasuke, but that was apparently off the table. Sasuke was utterly uninterested, and Naruto knew better than to try and force matters. Whether the problem was Sasuke’s issues, or something about Naruto, Sasuke wouldn’t take kindly to being pushed. Maybe the raven would get over his shit at some point, and maybe Naruto would forgive him at that point, but it wasn’t looking very likely. Goddamned, he wished he had gotten another partner when he joined the DPA. Being paired with Kiba would have been so much easier, because Kiba was as straight as a stick, and rather uncomplicated. They would have had so much fun, and Naruto would have been spared this bullshit completely. But then again, then he never would have gotten to know Sasuke… Shit!  
  
He needed to do something to make himself forget all about Sasuke. Chewing on his bottom lip as he waited for the glass to fill with tap water he got an idea. The moment he’d drained down the water he stalked over to the couch, grabbing the phone lying on it and shooting off a text.   
  
_Kiba! Wanna go out tomorrow? need to get drunk. Naruto._  
  
Sinking down on the couch, knowing he should hit the showers, but not having the energy to go into the bathroom he almost immediately got a reply.  
  
 _Fuck yeah, count me in! O’Malley’s at nine? Kiba_  
  
Naruto smiled at the reply, and quickly texted back that he’d be there. At least Kiba wasn’t being a prissy bitch, so he had someone still on his side. They both had the next two days off, and since it was Friday going out to get shitfaced were completely legit, no matter the reasoning behind it.  
  
Naruto glanced at the time on his watch, and noticed with surprise that it was 9 am. He really needed to get to bed. His line of work entailed that they mostly worked graveyard shifts, seeing as that was when the vampires were up. Usually Naruto would go straight to bed when he came home, but today he had been too plagued with his mind to fall asleep, hence the workout session. He hoped he’d be able to get some fucking sleep this time around.  
  


***

  
Kiba was already sitting inside when Naruto walked into the bar the following night. There was a grin on his face as he waved at Naruto, and Naruto smiled back. Kiba had a way of making him feel better, his energy contagious. Actually, Kiba and he were pretty similar, and that made for quite the combination. He just hoped he could forget about Sasuke and have some actual fun tonight, he really needed it.   
  
Veering off towards the bar, Naruto bought the first round, going back to Kiba with two beers in hand. He had every intention of getting plastered tonight, but he wanted to ease into it and not go directly for the hard liquor.  
  
“Thanks, man,” Kiba said as he grabbed one of the glasses, lifting the frothy amber liquid to his lips and taking a generous gulp. Naruto sat down on the chair opposite him, following suit. The beer was cold, and it felt good going down.   
  
“So, lady problems?” Kiba asked.  
  
“Lady problems?”  
  
“Usually when my friends want to go out specifically to get drunk there’s a lady causing problems,” Kiba offered. “And I haven’t forgotten about those love bites you spotted the other day, so something is obviously up.”  
  
“Nah, no lady…” Naruto dragged. He wasn’t sure how much to tell Kiba. He could tell that he was dealing with guy problems, he didn’t think Kiba would really have a problem with his sexuality, but that would mean it would be so easy to divulge too much, and if Kiba found out that Sasuke was the problem he would probably want to meddle, and Naruto didn’t want that. “I just felt like it,” he finally said with a shrug. Kiba didn’t really seem to buy it, but he didn’t press the issue. Kiba was really a stand-up guy.  
  
“Well, I’m not gonna stop ya. Here’s to two guys getting drunk just because they feel like it,” he said and lifted his glass in a salute.   
  
Naruto lifted his own, clinking it together with Kiba’s before chugging it down. He missed the burn that came from liquor and knew he would need to switch soon to get the desired effect. Beer would take too long.  
  
At some point during the evening a couple of Kiba’s friends joined them around the table. A portly dude named Chouji and a blonde who introduced herself as Ino just as he sat down next to Naruto and clung to his arm. Naruto was getting steadily drunker by this time, so he cheerily greeted them, figuring more people around meant a greater likelihood of him getting distracted. He was well aware that Ino was shamelessly flirting with him, an even though he mostly ignored it he kind of liked the attention. Not that he’d do anything about it, he wasn’t stupid enough to think that wouldn’t just make everything a whole lot worse.   
  
As the night progressed the alcohol did what it could, but he could still see Sasuke’s dark eyes whenever he closed his own for a moment, and he wanted it gone completely.   
  
“Kiiiiba, I’m not drunk enough,” Naruto whined, slurring the words. He heard spread laughter around the table, but didn’t care. He might be the drunkest out of the four, but that didn’t mean they weren’t intoxicated either. It was just that Chouji was a big guy, so he would need more alcohol to get drunk, and Ino didn’t drink anything but wine, and Kiba was talking too much to drink the amounts Naruto was downing.   
  
“Whatcha want?” Kiba said, pushing away from the table to head over to the bar.   
  
Naruto looked up at him, eyes big and getting slightly glassy. “Booze,” he stated before resting his head on the table, finding it too heavy to hold up at the moment. He could see Kiba roll his eyes at him, but didn’t have the energy to care.   
  
A couple of minutes later a small glass with a clear liquid in it appeared in front of Naruto and he pushed away from the table and grabbed it, quickly downing it. He’d thought it was vodka, but the taste that spread in his mouth was absolutely vile.   
  
“Gack!” he hacked, sticking out his tongue, hoping it would get the taste away. “What the fuck was that?” he asked, finding speech a bit difficult with his tongue hanging out.  
  
“Gin,” Kiba giggled, smiling mischievously. “I figured you’d want to taste something new.”  
  
“Next time, don’t,” Naruto whined, making grabby hands at the bag of chips in front of Chouji, needing something to take the taste away.   
  
Munching away on a fistful of salty chips he leaned back in his chair, noticing how the bar was swimming slightly before his eyes. He was getting pretty intoxicated, but still he couldn’t quite forget about Sasuke. Fucking fuckity fuck. Was nothing going to help? Maybe he needed to talk to Sasuke, get everything off of his chest, maybe that would help.   
  
He stuck a hand into his pocket, pulling out his cell phone. He struggled to remember the code to open it, but finally got past the lock and could get into the messages. He had Sasuke’s number stored in case of something happening with work, and he quickly pulled it up.  
  
“Who you texting?” Kiba asked as Naruto fumblingly tried to get his fingers to hit the right buttons.  
  
“Sasuke,” Naruto said, his drunken mind forgetting that he wasn’t going to talk about Sasuke to Kiba.  
  
“Really?”  
  
“He’s been an asshole, so I’m gonna tell him,” Naruto continued. He had a hard time focusing on the screen, but was pretty sure he was making a whole lot of sense. He was gonna give Sasuke a piece of his mind, that smug bastard wasn’t allowed to go around being an asshole, not when Naruto was watching!   
  
Finally hitting send he stuffed the phone back into his pocket, almost dropping it to the floor a couple of times, but managing.   
  
“One more drink, Naruto, then I think it’s time we take you home.” Kiba looked awfully stern, and no matter how much Naruto begged he was not wavering, so Naruto was only allowed one more drink, choosing a Strawberry Daiquiri because it was big and therefore should contain the most alcohol, or so Naruto hoped at least. After slurping down the rest of the sticky sweet drink Kiba held firm to his promise and left the bar with Naruto. Much like the last time Naruto needed help getting outside, but this time he was being brought back home and dropped on his own bed before Kiba left, leaving him all alone.   
  
Naruto closed his eyes, feeling the world tilt at all kinds of weird angles. He didn’t think he would be able to sleep, but five minutes later he drifted off into a fitful sleep, plagued by alcohol induced dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy holidays everyone! Here, have some angsty Partners as an early present. XD (I swear, it's not gonna be this angsty for very long!)


	18. Chapter 18

Sasuke woke with a groan when his phone made a beep. He'd always been a light sleeper, waking up at the smallest of noise, so the incoming message was enough to rouse him. He had no idea who would text him at this hour. Actually, he had no idea who would text him at all. He never got texts, and only rarely got phone calls. Came with not having friends.  
  
Grabbing the phone and letting his thumb swipe across the screen to unlock it he opened the text message, noting with surprise that it was from Naruto. Not knowing what to expect he let his eyes glide down the screen, reading it. Or rather, try reading it. It was barely legible. For a moment he wondered if a monkey had gotten off with his phone, but then he just realised that Naruto obviously had some kind of autocorrect on his phone that had tried to correct his mistakes but ended up just making more of a mess of the message. He got the gist of it pretty soon though. Apparently Naruto had felt the overpowering need to call him both an asshole and a motherfucking shitty bastard-face in the middle of the night. Sasuke was also stupid, and possibly an idiot, if Sasuke had understood the message correctly.   
  
The not so nice superlatives kept on for a few sentences, and Sasuke had to admit he was a bit impressed with Naruto's imagination. Besides, it wasn’t like he was wrong, Sasuke was an asshole, he knew that already, so he couldn’t be angry with Naruto for pointing it out.   
  
The message soon took a different turn though. The angry words faded away to be replaced with words from someone who sounded hurt. Apparently Naruto wanted Sasuke to know that Naruto wasn’t a whore, and that he didn’t sleep with people if he didn’t have feelings for them, and that it was pretty shitty of Sasuke to use him and dump him like that.   
  
_I liked u, but u was a stupid shit head and I never should hav ducked u. I though u liked me but u hate me like everyone else.i taught u was different._  
  
It was hardly profound prose, but Sasuke read the pain behind those words. Naruto had spent his life being turned down, being looked down upon, being spurned for something he couldn’t even control, and now Sasuke had joined the ranks of people treating him like shit. Naruto had said it himself, that he hadn't had any friends growing up, that people had been afraid of him. Fuck, Sasuke had screwed up majorly. He never should have gotten involved with Naruto. If he'd just stayed away the other wouldn’t be in pain now.  
  
Sasuke clutched his phone hard, knuckles growing white. How had this happened, how had he gotten invested in Naruto to the point that his heart, that he hadn’t even known was capable of feeling much of anything anymore, was breaking because he had gotten a stupid text from him? Where was the Sasuke that always held people an arm's length away, the one that never got close to anyone, that didn’t care about people? Why did it hurt so much to picture Naruto typing this angry text, claiming that Sasuke was a shithead and that if they never talked again that would be just fine by him?   
  
It wasn’t like Sasuke had done what Naruto obviously suspected; he hadn’t gone into it with the intention of using Naruto as a quick lay and moving on. He never had the intention of having sex with him at all; he hadn’t had the intention of learning to know the other at all. Sasuke had been driven by a single goal for most of his life, and now he was seeing that goal getting cloudier, his determination to get his revenge getting watered down by the sudden need to be with Naruto.   
  
It wasn’t just the fear of not getting his revenge though; it was the fear that if he allowed himself to get close to Naruto he was just opening himself up for more hurt. Letting down his shields for Naruto might make him vulnerable to all kinds of pain. What if something happened to Naruto? He still clearly remembered the way he snapped completely when he thought that vampire had killed Naruto back when they were nothing but partners. What if Naruto grew tired of him and left him because Sasuke couldn’t stop being the cold bastard he had been all these years. Could he ever be enough for Naruto?   
  
Naruto was so… vibrant. Sasuke was the very opposite. How could he ever be good enough for Naruto? Naruto needed someone who could make him happy, not someone who would make him miserable, like Sasuke apparently did.   
  
He had thought Naruto hadn’t meant much about the sex, because why would he really care about a bastard like Sasuke, but judging by the text Naruto hadn’t just done it to get off, but because he actually cared about Sasuke, and now Sasuke felt like the biggest asshole to have ever walked on the surface of the earth.   
  
He didn’t know if Naruto would ever forgive him, or if he would want to have anything to do with him, but the more Sasuke thought about it the more he started to realise that he needed to give this a chance. His body ached for Naruto, and he couldn’t deny himself to at least try.   
  


***

  
  
Naruto woke with a groan, his arm coming up to shield his eyes from the sunlight shining in through his window. His head was throbbing and he felt like utter shit on a stick. Why did he always forget how not fun the morning after a drinking binge was? It was so not worth it.   
  
Rolling out of bed Naruto stumbled into the bathroom, pulling off the clothes from last night that he had apparently slept in and turned on the shower, needing the cold water to shock his system back to life. He was glad he had a strong stomach so he wouldn’t need to deal with being queasy on top of everything, but his head was trying hard to make up for it with a mind splitting headache. He rummaged through his medicine cabinet and downed a couple of painkillers, hoping they would take the edge off the pain before he stepped into the shower.  
  
He wasn’t sure if it was the medicine or if it was the shower, but when he stepped out of it thirty minutes later he felt a bit more like a human and a bit less like a zombie. Brushing his teeth helped some as well, taking away the taste of something furry in his mouth.  
  
Getting dressed he walked into the kitchen, rummaging through it in hope of finding something to eat.   
  
Just as he gave up and was about to head to the cupboards, hoping he had some cup ramen lying around the doorbell rang.   
  
Naruto ran his fingers through his hair as he stepped over to the door, wondering who it could be, hoping it wasn’t someone to preach to him about Jesus, because he really wasn’t in the mood for that right now.  
  
His eyes widened as he saw just who was standing outside his door. He was wearing a pair of black jeans and a white t-shirt, looking more laidback than he did when they were at work. His hair was still styled though. Somehow Naruto thought it would take a natural disaster to have Sasuke leave the apartment looking anything other than flawless.   
  
"Sasuke," Naruto muttered, "we're not going to work today are we?" he added, suddenly wondering if he had the days wrong or something.   
  
"I…" Sasuke started, his eyes darting away from Naruto like he was having trouble with saying whatever he was thinking about.   
  
"Want to come in?" Naruto finally asked warily. Whatever Sasuke wanted it would be better dealt with inside, not on the doorstep where the noisy neighbours could butt in. Knowing Sasuke it wouldn’t be a pleasant conversation, and he'd rather not be chewed out in front of the little old lady living just down the hall.  
  
Sasuke nodded and stepped into the apartment. Naruto was suddenly embarrassed over his place. It was a dump compared to Sasuke's apartment. Small and furnished by an eclectic collection of furniture bought from Craig's list or IKEA it wasn’t exactly screaming with luxury. The empty pizza carton still filled with pizza crusts from two days ago was still lying on the coffee table, and there was a smattering of glasses and coffee cups spread around it. Naruto hadn’t exactly been expecting guests, so he hadn’t bothered cleaning up. Discreetly he toed at a pile of clothes lying on the floor, pushing the dirty socks to the bottom of it.   
  
"I… got your text," Sasuke started.  
  
Naruto frowned. What was Sasuke talking about? Which text? Naruto hadn’t sent any—" his eyes widened in horror as vague memories of last night came back to him. His hands dived into his pockets as he quickly pulled his phone out, pulling up Sasuke's name to see what he had written.   
  
Sasuke seemed to understand what was happening before Naruto did. "You were drunk weren’t you?" he asked as Naruto quickly scanned through the message, feeling dread build inside him as sentence upon sentence of expletives and confessions appeared on the screen. When the fuck had he done this? He hadn’t remembered at all.  
  
Biting his bottom lip he slowly tilted his head back up until he looked at Sasuke. He was mortified at what drunken Naruto had been up to last night, spilling all his emotions like that. Sasuke was bound to hate this. It wouldn’t surprise Naruto at all if Sasuke was here to tell him that they couldn’t work together anymore. Why couldn’t he have just shut the fuck up for once?  
  
Dark eyes met his, and Naruto couldn’t read the look in them at all, finding it completely unnerving.   
  
"Is it… is it true?" Sasuke asked.  
  
Naruto hesitated. Sasuke had given him an opening. He could just claim Kiba had stolen his phone, or that he was so drunk he hadn’t been making sense, or anything that would erase this message from their minds. "Yeah, it's true," Naruto said finally, lowering his gaze again. He couldn’t lie to Sasuke. The text had been a mess of jumbled thoughts, but it had conveyed what he felt efficiently: hurt and anger. He'd just have to be a man about it.  
  
Sasuke met his eyes for a brief moment before looking away again. "I never meant to use you," he said hesitantly, like he wasn’t quite sure about it. Naruto huffed and made to turn away.   
  
"I don't care what you meant or didn't mean. We had sex and then you didn’t want anything else to do with me. I get it, no need to fucking rub it in."  
  
The next moment Naruto felt a hand on his shoulder and he was spun around, back connecting with the wall as Sasuke was suddenly right up in his face, one hand pinning his shoulder to the wall, the other fisted against the wall, as he was trying hard not to drive it right through the plaster. His forehead was pulled into a frown and his dark eyes bore into Naruto's, fiery with emotions.   
  
"I want you so bad it fucking hurts!" he just about screamed in Naruto's face, and Naruto's eyes widened in shock.  
  
"I didn't pull away because I just wanted a quick fuck or because I don't like you. I did it because I'm messed up and you shouldn’t want to have anything to do with me." His voice was growing calmer, as he seemed to realise what he'd done, and he let go of Naruto, taking a step back, hanging his head so his bangs shielded his fac.  
  
"I'm sorry," he said quietly.   
  
Naruto finally got his reeling mind to function. That was definitely not what he had been expecting and felt as if he'd been thrown headfirst into a pool and only now had managed to get his head above water again.   
  
"You're sorry?" he asked, not quite have processed everything yet.  
  
"I'm sorry for being a bastard, and for treating you like shit. I have a lot of experience pushing people away," Sasuke mumbled, dark eyes refusing to meet his.   
  
Naruto didn’t know what to say, so he just watched Sasuke, watched him place his hands the pockets of his jeans when he caught himself fiddling with his t-shirt, watched him clench his eyes shut for a moment, watch him slowly lift his eyes to meet Naruto's again. Just the fact that Sasuke was standing in front of him, seemingly so unsure about what to say or do, the same Sasuke that was always seemingly in control of any situation, was completely baffling to Naruto.  
  
"I didn’t mean to use you, Naruto. Us, being together like that; it wasn’t something I planned for. It just happened. And I don’t regret it at all," Sasuke said, his voice growing more confident as he talked.   
  
"I don't do this, Naruto. I don't talk about…" his hand waved in front of his chest as he struggled to get the words out.  
  
"Feelings?" Naruto finished questioningly. Sasuke hesitated for a moment before nodding.   
  


***

  
  
  
Sasuke hated how nervous he was, how hard it was for him to find the right words. Sasuke Uchiha didn’t get nervous, but right now he was feeling more like a bumbling teenager than the confident man he had worked hard to become. He never did talk about feelings, didn’t acknowledge that he had any, not since he was a kid. Even when his family had been killed he hadn’t talked about his feelings with anyone, even refusing to go the therapist that was appointed to him. He couldn’t allow himself to feel because then he would break down, so instead he bottled it all up and went numb. It was easier to deal with the pain this way.  
  
And now he found himself standing here, wanting to tell Naruto what he felt but not finding the words to do so without sounding like an idiot. He wanted to tell Naruto that he meant more to him than anyone had done, that he wanted to be good for him, that he wanted to be with him, but he couldn't get the words out. They got stuck in his throat, making it close up.  
  
"I care about you, Naruto, I want…" Why couldn’t he just tell him how he felt? Why was this so hard?  
  
Naruto took a step closer to him, brilliant blue eyes not wavering for a second. Sasuke wanted to look away, but he couldn’t.   
  
"The Sasuke I saw last week, the one who was sort of nice, is he still around?" Naruto asked. There was no hint of the grinning goofball anymore, this Naruto was all serious, and frankly it surprised Sasuke a bit that Naruto had it in him, although he should have long since realised that there were a lot of sides to Naruto that he didn't readily show.   
  
"I want him to be," Sasuke said.  
  
"Are you going to act like an asshole again?"  
  
"Probably."  
  
"Is this just about sex? Because if it is you can just get the fuck out of here right now."  
  
"No, it's not just the sex. I… want _you_. All of you." Sasuke struggled with the words, struggled with expressing what he wanted to say, struggled with admitting to himself that he wanted to be with Naruto, body and mind and everything in a way he hadn't allowed himself to feel about anyone.   
  
"Do you want to be with me?"  
  
"Yes," Sasuke breathed. Naruto had leaned closer with every question, and now he took up all of Sasuke's vision. Blue eyes filling with a fire Sasuke hadn’t seen before, full lips pulling into a grin that was feral and made Sasuke ache to close those last few inches of air between them.  
  
Naruto's hands lifted, burying into Sasuke's hair on either side of his head, eyes locked with him. "I don't believe in fairy tales or the whole happily ever after bullshit, but if we do this you have to try. I want to be with you, and I can deal with a lot of crap, but you have to give me something back as well," Naruto said.   
  
When had Naruto turned into such a smart guy? This wasn’t the goofy idiot he usually worked with was it? No matter, Sasuke didn’t mind this change at all.  
  
"I can't promise that I won't be difficult, but I will try, Naruto," Sasuke admitted. This was not the time for empty promises; this was a time for honesty.   
  
"That'll do for now," Naruto whispered, and finally leaned in to close the gap between them, full lips finding Sasuke's, pulling him into a fiery kiss.  
  
Sasuke wasn’t good with words, but he was good with actions. He wrapped his arms around Naruto's back, pulling him close, deepening the kiss, taking control over it. Naruto seemed to allow him, letting Sasuke decide the pace, meeting his tongue only when Sasuke's pressed between soft lips to explore Naruto's warm mouth.  
  
Sasuke's hands dipped beneath the hem of Naruto's shirt, needing to feel his skin. He ran his fingers gently up Naruto's back, loving how the muscles twitched underneath his touch. Pulling Naruto's bottom lip into his mouth he gently nipped at the supple flesh, loving the mewl that arose in Naruto. However Sasuke had managed to stay away from this he wasn’t sure. Naruto was intoxicating. The feel of him, the smell of him, the taste of him. Sasuke could barely control himself, he wanted nothing more than to tear of all of Naruto's clothes and claim him properly, but at the same time he wanted to savour this.   
  
Naruto's fingers tugged at his hair and Sasuke moaned at the feeling, letting Naruto tilt his head to the side so the blond could trail kissed down his jawbone to his neck, latching on to the pale skin and adding suction. Sasuke knew an angry red mark would be left behind, bruises showed up vividly on his pale skin, and he loved knowing that he'd have this on him for days, showing everyone that Sasuke was taken.   
  
Sasuke's hands travelled down Naruto's back across his hips until he could pull Naruto close, rubbing their lower bodies together. He was hard, and he could feel that Naruto was as well. Sasuke wanted him so bad it hurt.  
  
Getting annoyed with the clothes separating them Sasuke grabbed the hem of Naruto's sweater, pulling it up, only breaking the kiss to get the offending piece of fabric away.   
  
As the expanse of Naruto's chest was revealed Sasuke dove in, nipping at his collarbone before moving to a pert nipple, drawing it into his mouth, sucking harshly. Naruto moaned, and Sasuke flicked at the nipple with his tongue while he used a thumb to play with the other.   
  
Moving back up his chest he found Naruto's lips in a bruising kiss.   
  
"Where's your bedroom?" he asked in-between kisses. He wanted Naruto lying on his back, giving Sasuke ample room to explore every inch of his delicious body. He'd been denying himself this for far too long, and even though a part of him told him that maybe they should take it slow he just couldn’t. Whenever he was with Naruto feelings ran rampant, whether it was anger or lust, and he couldn’t control himself. He needed more, and judging by the way Naruto moaned the blond was feeling much the same. They'd talk later; right now they just needed to _connect_.  
  
Naruto nodded towards a door on the other side of the living room, and Sasuke grabbed his hand, pulling him after him. He heard Naruto chuckle, probably over his eagerness, but right now Sasuke didn’t care. He was desperate to have Naruto naked underneath him, wanting to feel his warm body pressed against him, wanting to fill him and fuck him and claim him as his. He was a bit surprised over how primal his feelings were, but he couldn't stop it, Naruto just brought something out in him, a fierceness he had never had when with any of his other lovers.   
  
Slamming open the door he spun around and shoved Naruto down on the bed. "Get naked," he stated as he quickly pulled off his own t-shirt. He just didn’t think he could be patient anymore, he wanted this too much.   
  
Naruto was quick to do as he asked, pulling off jeans, boxers and socks, leaving him completely exposed. He looked magnificent, like some Greek god with his tan skin and chiselled chest. His cock was hard, precum beading on the head. He leaned back on his elbows, looking utterly confident in his nudity. A lazy grin spread on his face, eyes dancing appreciatively across Sasuke's body as he unbuttoned his jeans and shoved them down lean hips, leaving him only in a pair of dark blue boxer briefs that clung to his hips, doing little to hide his aroused state. Naruto licked his lips before leaning over to the nightstand, rummaging through it as Sasuke stalked over, dropping his boxers in the process. He pulled out a small bottle of lube and a couple of packs of condoms. "I figure we might need this," he said, grin on his face. Naruto seemed to have forgiven him for being an ass, at least for now. Sasuke was fully prepared to hear more about it later on, and he knew he'd deserve it.   
  
Sasuke crawled onto the bed, pushing Naruto's legs apart so he could sit in-between them. Oh, they were most definitely going to need both items Naruto had found, but first Sasuke wanted to play with Naruto. He wanted him begging for it before he fucked him. Wanted to show him with his body what he couldn’t tell him in words.  
  
His fingers trailed up tan thighs, almost, but not quite touching his cock as they swept past, up muscular abs. Naruto threw his head back; a moan escaping his lips as Sasuke leaned down, letting his tongue drag across the hard length of Naruto's cock. He swept his tongue across the head a couple of times, dipping into the slit slightly, lapping up the precum and savouring the taste.   
  
Naruto's hips moved up, inviting him to take his cock deep in his mouth. Sasuke let Naruto thrust up a couple of times, letting his lips wrap around his length, applying light suction before he pulled away, leaning back, letting his eyes drink in Naruto for a moment. His cheeks were flushed, his chest expanded rapidly as he breathed hard, his cock hard and shiny with precum and saliva. He looked utterly fuckable.   
  
"Turn around," Sasuke demanded huskily. Naruto willingly complied, twisting around so he was lying on his stomach, on leg on either side of Sasuke's hips. This way Sasuke got a good look at his muscular back, and the tan globes of his ass. Naruto peered at him over his shoulder, eyes blazing with heat.   
  
Sasuke let his nails scratch gently across shoulder blades and down, noticing that Naruto had dimples in the small of his back that just begged to be tasted. He leaned in, dipping his tongue in before dragging it up along his spine, tasting a vague hint of salt.  
  
Naruto arched underneath him, soft moans spilling from his mouth. Sasuke allowed a smile to cross his lips as he leaned in, locking his lips around the back of a shoulder, sucking hard. The skin was already a dark red when he pulled away. He dragged his tongue across the flesh again, tracing back down his back, finger following, digging into flesh.  
  
Sasuke was feeling his patience stretch thin, but he wasn’t quite ready to take Naruto just yet, there was one more thing he had wanted to do. Grabbing his hips he pulled Naruto up to his hands and knees, the blond moving along eagerly. Sasuke grabbed his ass, squeezing the muscle and pulling the cheeks apart, allowing him to see that puckered opening between them.  
  
Leaning in he let his tongue flatly run across it once. He heard a sharp intake of breath from Naruto who had obviously not expecting to be rimmed. Sasuke smirked, glad he could surprise his to be lover.   
  
Gathering up some saliva on his tongue he let it swipe across the pucker again, going in a circle around it, then directly across it, feeling how it twitched underneath his tongue. He could not wait to bury his dick inside that hole, but first he wanted to prepare Naruto properly. He had no idea if Naruto had done this before, but he wanted to make sure it felt amazing for him. Not that it would make up for things, but he wanted to make sure he didn't leave Naruto with any regrets this time.  
  
He let his tongue dip just inside the hole, moaning at the feel of Naruto clenching around him. He hadn’t done this to anyone before, although he had had people do it to him, and he knew how erotic it could feel with a warm tongue teasing at that hole. A couple of licks across the pucker, and then he pressed his tongue inside again, slowly working it past muscle, fucking Naruto properly with his tongue. Naruto moaned loudly, his hips undulating, wanting more.   
  
Sasuke kept on spearing him with his tongue while he groped for the lube, closing his hand around the small bottle after some fumbling. He uncapped it with his thumb, and poured some onto his fingers, having a bit trouble with doing it one-handed, his other hand still on Naruto's ass, spreading him wide for him.   
  
Finally the cool liquid coated several fingers on his right hand and he moved it up, pointer finger pressing alongside his tongue, sliding into that tight puckered opening.   
  
Sasuke allowed his tongue to swirl across his finger and the opening it was pressing into before pulling back, setting to preparing him properly for what was to come. His finger gently pressed inside, deeper than his tongue had been able to. Naruto was tight, squeezing down around the digit. Sasuke was getting pretty sure that Naruto really hadn’t done this a whole lot. Fuck, he could not wait to bury his cock deep inside that tight hole, feel it clench around him.  
  
Another finger pressed inside. Sasuke moved his other hand to the small of Naruto's back, rubbing in small circles. "Relax," he whispered, hearing Naruto letting out a breath he seemed to have been holding. Gently he pushed the two fingers in and out, loosening the muscles as carefully as he could. Soon enough he was able to work a third finger in, Naruto tensing for a moment as it pressed inside, but soon relaxing. It didn’t take long until he was moving his ass back, spearing himself against the fingers, heady moans spilling from his mouth.   
  
Sasuke didn’t think he had ever been this hard before. Just the vision of Naruto fucking himself onto Sasuke's fingers had his balls ache to release. He wouldn’t last very long, but he was definitely not going to come before he was deep inside Naruto, feeling the blond clench around him in an orgasm.  
  
Pulling his fingers out, to protests from Naruto, Sasuke grabbed a condom, tore it open and rolled it down his cock. He knew he was healthy, having gotten tested after his last relationship, but he didn’t want Naruto to worry about anything right now, so condom it was.   
  
He spread a generous dribble of lube over his cock, wanting to be sure he wasn’t going to hurt Naruto. Wrapping a hand around himself he moved his hips forward, positioning the head of his cock at Naruto's opening. Slowly he pushed against him, feeling Naruto's body resist for a moment before finally opening up, allowing the head to push inside. He heard a choked breath from Naruto, and stopped, allowing him to adjust to the feeling of being opened so completely.   
  
"Sasuke, don't you dare stop now," Naruto growled, looking over his shoulder. His eyes were dark with desire, and for a moment Sasuke could swear he saw them flash red. Sasuke was not one to back away from a challenge, so with a smirk that had Naruto smirk right back he moved forward. Naruto's mouth dropped open in a silent moan as Sasuke slowly pushed his hard length past the ring of muscles, filling him completely. "Yesss," Naruto hissed, his eyes scrunching closed.   
  
Sasuke stilled, finding that if he didn’t catch his breath he was going to come already. His hands were digging into Naruto's hips, and he hung his head, bangs brushing against his nose as he tried to catch his breath. The feeling was amazing. Naruto twitched around his cock, tight and warm. There was more as well, beyond the purely physical. The knowledge that Naruto had forgiven him enough to allow him to take him for his, that it wasn't just sex for the sake of sex, but because there were deeper feelings that could only be expressed through their bodies. He leaned down and kissed Naruto's back softly, trying to pour the emotions he had been holding back into the soft touch of lips against skin.  
  
As soon as he gathered a semblance of control over himself Sasuke started moving. He pulled back a little, before pushing back in, arching his hips, wanting to hit that one spot that would leave Naruto seeing stars. It took a few tries, but then a moan ripped from Naruto's throat. "Ah, yes!"  
  
Sasuke made sure to hit that spot on every stroke, and soon Naruto was panting, his hips twitching to either get away from the onslaught of pleasure, or to get more.   
  
Sasuke knew he wasn’t going to last long. It felt too good to be inside Naruto. But he still wanted Naruto to come first, wanted to feel him come with his cock still buried deep in his ass.   
  
Leaning forward Sasuke let one hand snake around Naruto's body until it could grasp his cock, wrapping firmly around the hard length. Soon he was thrusting shallowly into Naruto, making sure to hit his prostate as much as he could while simultaneously stimulating his cock. It didn’t take long until Naruto came hard, groaning and arching his back as ropes of cum splashed over Sasuke's hands and the bedding. Naruto clamped down around him, and Sasuke barely had time to push deep inside and pull out at all before his own orgasm finally ripped through him. It had been coiling inside and now it could not be contained anymore, not with Naruto tightening around him like that.   
  
He gripped tan hips hard, probably leaving behind a bruise or two as he came hard, filling the condom with his release.   
  
Naruto collapsed beneath him, and Sasuke followed him to the mattress, barely mustering up the energy to pull out and roll to the side to remove the condom and toss it away. He rolled lazily over on his back next to Naruto, his body completely exhausted from the orgasm. He didn’t think he had ever come that hard before.  
  
Naruto murmured something he couldn’t make out before twisting around, wrapping his arm around Sasuke and snuggling close to him, blond hair tickling Sasuke's nose. Normally Sasuke wasn’t one for snuggling, he was more the type to jump straight in the shower and leave after sex, but now he found that it was quite pleasant. Naruto was warm against him, he smelled of musk and sweat and sex, and his steady breathing comforted him. Sasuke wrapped an arm around him, buried his face in the soft spikes of Naruto's hair and allowed his eyes to slide shut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy 2015 everyone! Here's some SasuNaru smut to celebrate. Hope you enjoyed. :3


	19. Chapter 19

Sasuke woke to the smell of burning. His eyes flew open as he scanned the unfamiliar setting, suddenly remembering that he was in Naruto's bedroom. Naruto was nowhere to be seen though, and Sasuke quickly rolled out of bed, pulled on his boxer briefs and rushed into the living room, unsure of what was happening.  
  
He came to an abrupt stop when he saw Naruto standing in the kitchen area, smoke billowing around him as he pulled open the oven door. So, not a proper fire then, just Naruto making breakfast.  
  
Naruto suddenly noticed Sasuke, and a bashful smile spread on his face as he manoeuvred the tray from the oven to the sink, dumping the charred remains of breakfast in it and turning on the water.  
  
"How haven’t the smoke detector gone off yet?" Sasuke said as he took in the smoky kitchen, rolling his eyes slightly as he moved over to the living room window, opening it to get some fresh air in.  
  
"Ah," Naruto started, a hand running through his hair, a hint of a blush creeping to his cheeks. "I kind of forgot to put the batteries in the after the last time it went off."  
  
Sasuke hitched a dark eyebrow at that statement. So, apparently this hadn’t been the first time. Walking over to the kitchen he looked down in the sink, trying to figure out what Naruto had been trying to cook. There were four round bits that could have looked like they were supposed to be bread rolls, but he wasn’t sure.  
  
"I wanted to make you breakfast, and I had these things in the freezer, and I thought they'd be good, so I put them in, but I might have forgotten about them," Naruto blurted out.  
  
Sasuke looked at him. It felt… weird to have someone want to make him breakfast. No one had done that since he was a kid and his mother had made him sandwiches to eat in front of the TV, watching cartoons on weekends.  
  
He wrapped his arms around Naruto's shoulders, leaning their foreheads together. How he ever managed to stay away from Naruto at all he could not fathom right now.  
  
"Thank you," he said, something that could almost pass as a smile on his lips.  
  
Naruto beamed before leaning up to kiss Sasuke lightly. As Sasuke pulled away he noticed the time on Naruto's microwave. He hadn’t been sleeping for more than an hour, but it still meant that it was past five PM.  
  
"For normal people I guess it would be dinner time, but I haven’t had breakfast yet. What do you want to eat?" Sasuke asked as he opened the fridge to see what was inside. He wasn't a spectacular cook, but he could make a decent meal without burning it at least.  
  
"Pancakes, can you make pancakes?" Naruto said, eyes wide in hopefulness.  
  
Sasuke saw a few eggs and a carton of milk, pulling both of them out. "Sure."  
  
The look on Naruto's face as he slid a stack of warm, fluffy pancakes in front of him was worth it all. He grinned wide enough to show molars, eyes bright and happy as he thanked Sasuke profusely and dug in after drizzling on a bottle of syrup. Apparently Naruto had never quite mastered the art of making pancakes, and after seeing the remains of his attempt at making food, Sasuke couldn’t say he was surprised.  
  
"Aw, man, these are like, perfect!" Naruto said in the middle of a mouthful of food.  
  
Sasuke sat down, a small stack in front of himself, a small bit of butter melting on top of it. He had never gotten the whole thing with syrup on pancakes, but then again he wasn’t much for sweets at all.  
  
The finished their meal in silence, Naruto too busy with eating to say anything, Sasuke too lost in thought to talk. It was surprising to him how normal this felt, making breakfast and eating together. For once Sasuke forgot all of the other shit in his life and just enjoyed the moment. It felt… nice.  
  
When Naruto finally pushed away the now empty plate of pancakes he smiled contently and rubbed his tummy happily. He was wearing baggy sweatpants and a plain t-shirt, similar to what Sasuke was wearing, courtesy of Naruto's wardrobe. He hadn’t felt like putting on his jeans, so Naruto had lent him a pair of black sweatpants and one of the few t-shirts not sporting any orange that was to be found in his closet before Sasuke had gotten to work on making the pancakes. The t-shirt was white, with a band logo on the front from some band Sasuke had never heard about. It smelled of Naruto, or rather, whatever detergent Naruto used, and he rather liked that.  
  


***

  
  
Naruto walked over to the couch, slumping down on it, looking over at Sasuke who quickly followed after him, taking up the spot next to him. Naruto curled up against him, not caring in the slightest if snuggling wasn’t manly. Right now he just wanted to be close to Sasuke. This day had taken a remarkable turn, all thanks to a stupid drunken text. _Thank you, drunken Naruto,_ he thought to himself, grinning softly. If he had known it was that easy to get through to Sasuke he would have done it long ago.  
  
He felt fingers brush through his hair, gently combing it and playing with the strands. Naruto's hand rested lightly on Sasuke's chest, feeling the slight thump of his heart under his palm. It was nice to just lie together like this, tummies filled with pancakey goodness, bodies still sated from their earlier romp. Naruto could feel his ass twinging slightly when he moved, but it was just a nice reminder of what they had been doing. Naruto had never actually allowed anyone to top him before, either doing the topping himself, or just going with blowjobs and frotting. He had seriously missed out on something, because the feeling of Sasuke filling him so completely, pressing against his prostate had been fucking mind-blowing. He was definitely not opposed to letting him do that again.  
  
Naruto wished they could just go on like this forever, fucking, eating and snuggling, but he knew that wouldn't really be feasible. They had to be back at work on Monday, back on the streets. He liked his job, liked the fact that it was making a difference in the world, but right now he wanted to just stay with Sasuke forever. The last time they had parted ways after sex everything had turned to shit, and a small part of him was still afraid it might happen again, no matter the reassurances Sasuke had given him.  
  
At least Sasuke had been honest with him, making it clear that he wasn’t going to change in a heartbeat, stating that he would probably be an asshole at times. The important thing to Naruto was that they could work through that and be together though. Life wasn’t a straightforward path, it was twists and bends and hills, and with two so different people as Sasuke and him a relationship was doomed to be volatile. They both had fiery tempers, so Naruto knew they were in for some epic fights, but as long as the makeup sex was as good as what they'd done earlier he wouldn’t mind that too much.  
  
"Stay with me for the rest of the day?" Naruto whispered into Sasuke's chest.  
  
"Okay," Sasuke answered, making Naruto's heart soar with happiness. At least this time he knew that Sasuke had actual feelings for him, that this hadn’t been just sex, so whatever happened now he would fight for Sasuke, not just pull away.  
  


***

  
  
Sasuke leaned forward on the couch, narrowing his eyes as he looked at the TV screen. It was absolute carnage. Bodies littered the ground, bullets whizzed past them, and Naruto was running headfirst into the fray, shooting wildly around him. Rolling his eyes Sasuke ducked behind an upturned car, surveying the situation, taking down a guy that was aiming at Naruto with a well-placed shot with his rifle.  
  
Sneaking around the car he took down a few more of the enemies, allowing Naruto to keep on his kamikaze run, tearing through the flock of enemies, coming out on the other side with almost half his life still intact. However Naruto had managed this without him as backup Sasuke had no idea.  
  
Clutching the PS3 controller he quickly pushed the buttons to make his character run and grab a ledge above him, pulling himself up to a safe place. Switching to a sniper rifle Sasuke calmly took down every enemy that swarmed towards Naruto.  
  
At some point during their night Naruto had insisted on introducing Sasuke to the wonders of gaming, claiming that a co-op first-person shooter was the way to go. Sasuke had grumbled about gaming being for teenagers, but Naruto could be very persistent when he wanted too, and soon Sasuke found himself running through a futuristic landscape, gunning down robots and evil soldiers alike. It took him a while to get used to the controllers, but when he did he found that it was quite fun.  
  
As in real life Naruto and he made for a good team, Naruto running around like a headless chicken drawing all the attention while Sasuke lingered in the background, taking them out one by one. They both died occasionally, but most of the time they did pretty well, steadily going through the levels, overcoming obstacle after obstacle.  
  
As the wave of enemies was vanquished Sasuke spared a glance over at Naruto, whose joy and glee were contagious. The blond couldn’t sit still for more than a minute or two before he was bouncing around on the couch, hands with controller flying as he aimed and shot. Seemingly noticing him looking Naruto turned towards him, a wide grin spreading on his face as saw Sasuke. That grin was like the sun itself, warm and bright, chasing away the shadow that was Sasuke's soul for just a moment, leaving him genuinely happy.  
  
"Idiot, watch the screen," Sasuke chided playfully as Naruto steered his character right off a cliff.  
  
"Fuuuck," Naruto groaned as his character respawned, having lost all his ammo. Sasuke just rolled his eyes and took the lead as they made their way through the game, hoarding odd bits of ammo along the way to refill what he'd lost.  
  
Soon they came upon a boss, a giant robot set on killing the two space cadets. Sasuke focused, searching for its weak points while Naruto started unloading clip after clip into its hulking metal body. Sasuke soon realised that the robot's metal was impenetrable by bullets, and snuck around him, lobbing a grenade at a weaker spot, smirking as the explosion tore the robot to bits.  
  
Naruto hollered gleefully as the robot fell over, marking the end of the level, the laugh that rose from him so genuine that Sasuke couldn’t help but smile.  
  
The laughter stopped abruptly, Naruto's eyes widening, his jaw dropping.  
  
Sasuke paused the game, looking worried. What had Naruto so shocked?  
  
Naruto lifted a hand, pointing at Sasuke's head, making Sasuke even more worried. "What's wrong?" he asked, putting the controller down on the couch, leaning towards his lover.  
  
"You, you, you smiled!" Naruto exclaimed, sounding beyond shocked.  
  
"Are you kidding me, now?" Sasuke asked incredulously, arching an eyebrow. This reaction for a simple closemouthed smile?  
  
"Dude, you _never_ smile."  
  
"Of course I smile," Sasuke said, frowning.  
  
"Nu-uh. You smirk, or you grin all evilishly, but you never smile."  
  
Sasuke just rolled his eyes. Okay, so maybe he wasn’t exactly known for smiling. It wasn’t like he had a whole lot of things to smile about.  
  
Naruto leaned closer to him, obviously waiting to see another smile. Sasuke was not about to grant him the pleasure, so he kept his lips firmly pressed together.  
  
"Come ooooon, I wanna see it again," Naruto whined, poking Sasuke's cheek.  
  
"Not gonna happen," Sasuke stated. "Now, do you want to play more, or should we stop for the night?"  
  
Naruto seemed to weigh his options. "I can totally get you to smile again you know, but for now, we play."  
  


***

  
They played for another few hours, then ordered pizza. Sasuke couldn’t quite fathom how different his life suddenly was. A few days ago he had been moping around, now he was hanging out with Naruto, doing normal stuff like gaming and arguing over what to put on the pizza. It felt good, to be able to forget about his past, forget about the threat that was a vampire in the shape of his brother that was always looming over him, an ominous shadow. Now he finally forgot that and relaxed, an utterly strange feeling.  
  
Following pizza came watching movies, Naruto once again choosing a scary movie he really was too chicken shit to watch, ending with him pressed up against Sasuke, hiding in his chest whenever the killer drove his machete through a victim. Sasuke rolled his eyes, but wrapped his arms safely around Naruto, loving how warm he felt against him.  
  
At the end of the movie Naruto was yawning. Sasuke glanced at his wristwatch, surprised to see that it was almost four am already. He could not believe how quickly this day had passed. It was unusual for him to spend his days off work doing anything other than training or working on some case, so if someone told him he'd spend the night holed up watching bad movies and playing video games he would have thought he would be bored out of his mind, but time had flown by.  
  
"I think maybe I should go home now, it's time for you to go to bed," he said, planting a soft kiss on the top of Naruto's head.  
  
"Can't you stay the night? I don't wanna sleep alone," Naruto murmured into his chest, snuggling tightly. He reminded Sasuke awfully of a kitten, with the way he clung to him. It was rather endearing, although he'd never say that out loud. Couldn’t have Naruto think he was going mushy on him.  
  
"Sure, I can stay," Sasuke stated, silently very glad for the invitation. Going back home to his empty apartment was not something he had been looking forward, he'd much rather spend the night here, with Naruto.  
  
They were quick to brush their teeth, Sasuke borrowing Naruto's after Naruto had teased him that sticking his tongue up his ass was fine, but borrowing a toothbrush wasn’t. Sasuke had to begrudgingly agree that maybe there was something in what he was saying, but he still didn’t like borrowing it, even if he knew he'd regret it if he didn’t, he could already feel his teeth have that slightly fuzzy feeling they would get when not having been brushed in a while.  
  
Inside the bedroom they awkwardly stripped to their boxer, sliding quickly underneath the covers. Sasuke knew it was stupid, he had seen every part of Naruto naked, and Naruto had likewise seen him naked, but it was still a bit weird to be stripping in front of each other.  
  
Underneath the covers, room dark around them as Naruto flicked off the nightstand lamp, the awkwardness faded though. Sasuke was unaccustomed to having someone next to him in bed, so he just laid down on his back, hands by his side. Naruto chuckled, and wrapped his body around Sasuke's, leg thrown over his, arm around his middle, head resting on his chest. Sasuke relaxed, wrapping an arm around Naruto, and closing his eyes, relishing how it felt to have a warm body pressed up against his, soft breathing calming him.  
  
He never did this, slept with someone. His previous relationships had always been hollow, him not letting anyone close. They'd have sex, and then Sasuke would leave. Right now he was more than satisfied with just lying there in silence, falling asleep with Naruto in his arms.  
  


***

  
  
On another side of the country, miles and miles away from the two lovers sleeping contently in each other's arm a door slid open on a soft creak. The man inside didn't acknowledge his guests as he leaned over the girl kneeling at his feet, brushing her long hair away from her neck, baring an expanse of flawless, golden skin. He felt her tremble underneath his hands, a mix of lust and fear he always instilled in his victims. He liked the taste of fear on them, liked seeing the look in their eyes as they fought between fleeing and giving in.  
  
He heard the shuffling of impatient feet behind them, but kept on ignoring his guests. They would have to wait until he finished what he was doing. He loathed being disrupted during dinner.  
  
"Look at me," he whispered at the girl, and her green eyes flittered to him for a moment. She stopped breathing, lush lips parted as she gazed into his red eyes, utterly captivated.  
  
"You want to be like me?" he asked, and the girl nodded, her breath leaving her in a puff of air. How… predictable. Even now, when their kind was well known to the world, these foolish kids still wanted the turn, wanted to be young and beautiful forever. They didn’t get that they were signing their life away, that getting turned tore their souls away from their bodies, leaving them a husk for one of his kind to take over. Silly humans and their fantasies. Staring the devil in the eyes and still not comprehending.  
  
Teeth shifted in his gums as his fangs elongated in preparation of what was to come. He saw her eyes widen as fear suddenly flashed through her, the smell thick and delicious in the air. He traced his tongue along one fang, drawing her attention, and another wave of lust rolled through her. He would have laughed if it wasn’t so pitiful.  
  
"Itachi?" he heard behind him, and he growled at the voice, annoyed that they dared ruin his dinner now that he was having so much fun. He ignored them further, but the fun was all gone now. He tightened his fingers in her hair and pulled her close in a swift and ruthless motion before striking, fangs digging deep into her carotid artery. She stiffened as pain tore through her, and then she grew lax, hands pawing at his chest before falling down to hang by her side as he sucked her dry.  
  
Finally sated he let her limp body fall from his hands to the floor. He'd have one of his men dispose of her later; he had no need for more vampires now, so her dream would be forever unfulfilled. No matter, either way left her dead.  
  
Rising from the wingback chair he had been sitting in he brushed down his dress pants and slowly turned around.  
  
"Yes?" he said, finally acknowledging the two men standing in the doorway. He knew his eyes were still shining red, and there were coppery drops of crimson still on his lips, but these two already knew he was, so it mattered little.  
  
"Itachi, we've have a proposition for you," the one with the mask said.  
  
"This better be important to disturb me, Kakuzu. I do not take lightly to intruders," Itachi said, an icy menace radiating off of him. He made it no secret that he'd rip these two apart at a moment's notice if they displeased him.  
  
"Oh, this is fucking important," the other man said, his voice sounding ragged and raw. Itachi noticed deep marks across his necks, carelessly sewn together with black string.  
  
"Hidan, did you get yourself killed again?" Itachi said with a smirk. He'd met the two before, and although he had never truly learned what they actually were he knew of their… special abilities. At one point the two had apparently been human, but some dark magic had altered them to the point where death was merely a minor inconvenience. They just stitched themselves together and soon their bodies were functioning again. Itachi didn’t much like either of the two, Hidan was too volatile, and Kakuzu a greedy fucker, but he saw the use in their abilities and had mostly stayed on their good side.  
  
"Fuck off," Hidan growled, clearly not happy that someone had gotten the jump on him.  
  
Kakuzu placed a hand on his partner's shoulder, making him shut up. "That is actually part of why we are here. We met someone you might be interested in."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've had some discussions on the whole SasuNaru vs NaruSasu thing over on ffn, and although I've never given a shit who tops as long as I can get me some sweet lovin' I know some people are very firm in only reading one of the two. So Imma gonna compromise, and write alternative versions of the chapters with smut, because any chance to write more smut is good with me. :3 They'll be posted as seperate submissions I guess, so keep an eye out! 
> 
> (Also, if this doesn't make it glaringly obvious that I'm a big people pleaser I dunno what will. I'll do a lot for my readers! You lucky bastards:3)


	20. Chapter 20

Naruto stretched his thigh muscles while Sasuke tightened the laces on his running shoes. The sun was shining down at them, the warmth pleasant as it filtered through the leafy canopy above them.   
  
It had been over a week since they had worked out the issues between them, and that week had pretty much been awesome. They had been hanging out most days, curled up on a couch watching movies or going to the gym together or playing videogames or having sex. Most of the time they ended up at Naruto's place, thought Sasuke hadn’t wanted to elaborate when Naruto asked why. Not that he cared, Sasuke's place might be amazing, but his own apartment was okay, particularly now that he had Sasuke there. They kept it professional at work, not wanting to let their relationship affect their job. They had silently consented to keeping it a secret from their co-workers as well. Sasuke had apparently no need to let anyone know anything about his personal life, and Naruto kind of liked having something that was just his and Sasuke's. They'd get around telling them eventually, but for now it was nice to just be the two of them.   
  
Seeing as how the weather was too nice to be spending it inside they had driven Sasuke's car out to the edge of the forest, intending to go on a run. Naruto usually just used the treadmill at the local gym when he needed to work on his stamina, he hadn’t been living in the city long enough to know where else to go, but Sasuke had taken them to this great spot off the mostly used routes. There was a small parking space, only two other cars in it, and miles of trails spreading out in the leafy forest.   
  
"You ready?" Sasuke said as he rose from position on the ground, blue shoes fastened on his feet. He wore a pair of loose fitting track pants, black of course, because colour was apparently toxic to the raven, and a white t-shirt on top of it, clinging just enough to his body to show off the toned muscles underneath. Naruto took a moment to appreciate the view before nodding. He himself wore baggy grey sweatpants and an equally baggy orange t-shirt, faded from years of use. He knew it didn’t look anywhere near as good as Sasuke's get up, but it was comfy, and that was mostly what Naruto cared about to be honest.   
  
Sasuke set off into the forest, leaving Naruto behind, not giving him any notice. Setting his legs to work Naruto tore after him, dust flying behind him as his long legs brought him into the forest, following close behind Sasuke.   
  
Even if they were now together it did not mean they weren’t still at an eternal competition. Naruto did not like losing any more than Sasuke did, so they were always trying to outdo each other, even if they were joking it took very little to make it into a serious, high-stakes competition.   
  
Naruto focused on the path ahead, grinning as his legs closed the distance between them. Sasuke might be good, but Naruto had spent most of his life running from people who wanted to hit him, so he had years of practice. Just as he passed Sasuke he yelled out, "last man to the top has to bottom!" grinning widely when he saw Sasuke's eyes blaze. They had decided to run to the top of the small hill some miles into the forest, marked with red signs at the crossroads, so Naruto wouldn’t need a guide, meaning he was going to win this, easily.   
  
He would have taken in the scenery if he hadn’t been so preoccupied at winning, but right now he was solely focused on the path ahead, and at keeping his breathing steady, not wanting to run out of it and having to take a break. It was a long run, and he wasn’t really used to running in the terrain, but his feet managed just fine. The path was worn enough that it was fairly wide, making for an easy path to follow.  
  
He heard Sasuke's laboured breathing behind him, and knew the raven was close by. It was not going to be easy to beat him, not with the fiercely competitive streak he had, but Naruto was determined that he would. He was a bit peeved that Sasuke had turned out to be a natural when it came to videogames, often beating Naruto when they placed against each other, so he wanted to show that he really was superior at something.  
  
The road split ahead of him, his eyes quickly making out the red arrow marking which road he needed to take. The path was slowly starting to bleed into a steady incline, marking the start of the hill they were going to end up on.   
  
His thighs were starting to hurt already, not used to running up, but rather straight forward, but he was not going to be bested, dammit!  
  
He chanced a glance backwards, swearing when he saw just how close Sasuke was. Apparently his partner was more used to running in the terrain, so he was slowly eating up the distance between them, catching up dangerously fast. Naruto just realised that this was probably the reason Sasuke had insisted on them taken the red route, rather than the blue that traversed through the forest to a lake, having little inclination. No, of course Sasuke had known Naruto would struggle up the hill, and that this was where Sasuke could beat him. Sneaky bastard.  
  
Naruto watched with dismay as Sasuke suddenly was running beside him, his strong legs eating at the dirt path, sending his lithe body into the lead inch by inch. Naruto strained his legs, not ready to give up just yet. He could see the top of the hill now, a viewpoint marking the spot they had decided upon as their goal.   
  
He managed to keep pace with Sasuke, both of them running side by side now, arms pumping, legs chewing at the ground, breaths laboured as they were both getting tired from the full on sprint they were suddenly participating in. This was not the slow run they had intended their work-out to be, this was a competition. There was no pacing, just full speed ahead.  
  
They were getting so close, and Naruto was feeling his legs burn, screaming for him to stop and give them a break, but he was not going to give up, not when he was this close to finally beating Sasuke at something.   
  
Pushing himself he almost managed to run past Sasuke, but the action seemed to only spur Sasuke on, as he brought up a final reserve of speed and suddenly was in front of Naruto again, slowly pulling away. Naruto cursed and worked hard, but had to look as Sasuke tore away slowly, reaching the goal a handful of feet in front of Naruto.  
  
They both collapsed on the ground, Sasuke smirking at Naruto as he heaved for breath. "Looks like I'm topping again," he said in-between gulps of air.  
  
Naruto pouted. "I'm going to get your ass sooner or later, Uchiha, be prepared."  
  
It was always Sasuke topping when they had sex, and Naruto had every intention of switching that up at some point. Sure, he loved the feeling of Sasuke inside him, but that did not mean he didn’t want to spread Sasuke open and fuck him properly, feel him spasm around him as he came. Fuck, he wanted that so bad.  
  
"We'll just see about that, Uzumaki," Sasuke shot back.  
  
The next few minutes they just sat silently, trying to gather their breaths. Sasuke was the first to get to his feet, forcing Naruto to have to do the same or look like a wimp.   
  
"Let's head to the river, I want to show you something," Sasuke said, and started down the path again, this time at a more leisurely pace. Naruto followed close behind. His eyes darted down to Sasuke's ass ever so often, finding that the view was a good reason to be running behind Sasuke rather than push past him.   
  
They turned onto the path marked by blue arrows, a middle-aged man running towards them, nodding as he passed them.   
  
"There's really not a whole lot of people here is there?" Naruto commented. The man was the only one they had seen the entire run.   
  
"No, there's a lot more paths a few miles down, most people use those. I prefer to run here, fewer people."  
  
"Who'd have thunk, Sasuke Uchiha wanting to be alone," Naruto mused loudly. Sasuke threw him a glare over his shoulder.   
  
Naruto was very pleased himself, but that came to an abrupt halt as his foot hooked around a root rising in the middle of the path, sending him face-planting to the ground. His breath was knocked out of him as he hit the ground hard, both his palms getting scraped up as he tried to catch himself.   
  
Sasuke skidded to a halt, and quickly ran back, bending down towards Naruto, assessing the damage.   
  
Naruto groaned as he noticed his bleeding palms, but was glad to find that his ankle hadn’t twisted in the process, so with some help from Sasuke had got to his feet again. He looked a bit worse for wear, his clothing dirty, but there was no need to go back just yet. Sasuke shook his head as Naruto brushed off his clothing and set off down the path towards the lake again, walking rather than running now.   
  
"You are supposed to avoid the roots, idiot," Sasuke said, somehow making it sound more like a term of endearment than an insult  
  
"You were in the lead, you could have warned me!" Naruto exclaimed.   
  
"I can't go around holding your hand everywhere you go, Naruto," Sasuke said, grinning mischievously.   
  
Naruto stuck out his tongue, and the rest of the walk to the lake was done in silence.   
  
As they came to the water Sasuke veered off to the left, heading into the brush alongside the water's bank rather than follow the path that winded to the right alongside the bank.  
  
Naruto huffed behind him as they pushed to the undergrowth, but Sasuke knew it would all be worth it.  
  
Three minutes of stumbling through the woods and they finally arrived at their destination. Naruto went bug-eyed when he saw the place. It was little more than a clearing on the edge of the woods, soft grass turning into pale sand, creating a small, isolated beach. The water was silent in front of them, and there were no one else around. The most used walk paths led to the other side of the lake, where there were bigger areas where people could go into the water. That was where everyone else swam. Sasuke wasn’t everyone else though, and had no desire to bathe around other people. Sasuke had mostly found this place by accident, and hadn’t met anyone else the times he had been here.   
  
"Oooh, I wanna go swimming," Naruto said, smiling brightly as he looked over the water gently lapping at the beach. The lake wasn’t very big, just a blip on any maps, but it would be perfect for swimming. Summer would have warmed the water to a more pleasant temperature, and it was pretty clear for a forest lake.  
  
Naruto looked at Sasuke, his smile faltering. "I didn’t bring my swimming trunks though."  
  
Sasuke didn’t bother saying anything back. They were all by themselves in the middle of the forest, and Naruto couldn’t figure out a way to go swimming without his trunks? He could be so dense at times.   
  
Quickly pulling his t-shirt over his head Sasuke threw the garment to the side, on top of a flat rock that would keep it relatively clean. His shoes went next, then his pants. Naruto seemed too busy ogling him to do some undressing off his own. With a shake of his head Sasuke pushed down his boxers too, grinning when he saw the look of surprise on Naruto's face.  
  
Leaving his lover standing on the bank Sasuke waded into the water, gracefully diving in.  
  
When he came back up for air he saw Naruto struggling with his own clothing, apparently not getting it off quick enough. He fell to his ass as he tried pulling off his shoes, but soon enough he joined Sasuke in the water. He made faces as he walked in, apparently finding the water colder than he had anticipated, but soon he was standing next to Sasuke, pulling him close for a kiss.   
  
Sasuke responded to the kiss, moulding their lips together, before he pulled away and dove back in, starting swimming to deeper waters. Naruto flailed behind him, but soon followed, swimming along.   
  
It felt good to stretch their bodies out in the water, smooth, controlled motions bringing them out, the water cool, but pleasant against their skin as long as they kept in motion. Sasuke twisted and started off back towards the shore, not wanting to get too far out knowing he had to swim back, and had just gone through a rather vigorous run.   
  
Somewhere along the swim out he had lost Naruto, the blond having more fun splashing around and diving than swimming, laughing loudly ever so often. Naruto had a child's ability to find happiness in everything, and Sasuke was finding it a very admirable quality. It took very little to make Naruto excited, and Sasuke found that he was trying to be the one to give him something to be exited over. He loved that he had been able to take Naruto here, show him this little spot, knowing that the bright smile on the tan face was because of him.   
  
Naruto followed him back to the shallow, splashing water and trying to catch Sasuke's legs the whole way. Sasuke allowed himself to not be as uptight for once, splashing right back before diving underneath the surface, digging his teeth lightly into Naruto's calf.   
  
Naruto chuckled, humming the jaws theme until they were far enough in that they could stand up, feet digging into the sandy bottom of the lake. Naruto threw his arms around Sasuke, placing a big, sloppy kiss on his face.   
  
Pulling away he ran his fingers through Sasuke's hair, pulling it back and out of the way. With the water softening the wax it kept that way, slicked back, long enough to almost brush his shoulders.  
  
"I kind of like your hair like this," Naruto mused. "You can't hide behind your bangs now."  
  
"I don't hide behind my bangs," Sasuke scoffed.  
  
Naruto didn’t say anything about it, just smiled softly. "It's nice to see all of your face for once."  
  
Sasuke looked away, not knowing what to say when Naruto suddenly switched from playful to serious like this.   
  
Naruto rested his hands on Sasuke's shoulders, pulling him softly closer to him until their chests were pressed against each other, faces a mere inch apart. Naruto's thumbs moved in lazy circles against Sasuke's skin, and Sasuke couldn’t contain himself anymore, hand moving up to cup Naruto's nape, pulling him that last inch, claiming his lips in a searing kiss. Their slick bodies pressed against each other, cocks growing hard as they thrust together, water making the rub of skin against skin smooth.  
  
Sasuke let his hands travel down Naruto's body, flicking against his dusky nipples, twisting just enough for Naruto to rip away from the kiss for a heady moan before his tongue again thrust into Sasuke's mouth.  
  
His hands travelled down well-defined abs, dipping below the surface of the water to grab both of their cocks in a firm grip. They were both rock hard.  
  
"I want you so bad, Sasuke," Naruto moaned, his mouth having travelled from Sasuke's lips to his ear, his warm breath and low voice sending shivers down Sasuke's back. A warm tongue licked up the edge of the ear, and then teeth were nibbling at his earlobe, biting down before sucking at the flesh. Sasuke's hips tilted, he needed more stimulation, wanted to come.   
  
His thumb slid along their heads before his palm moved down their lengths again, wanting them both to come, wanting to feel Naruto's shudders as his orgasm claimed him, wanted…  
  
They broke apart as they both heard the sounds of talking coming from the woods not far from their small spot. Eyes wide they quickly made their way back to the shore, their hard-ons wilting quickly as they quickly pulled on boxers and pants, not wanting to be caught by strangers, mid-fuck. Sasuke was standing with his t-shirt in hand, Naruto just pulling his pants over his ass as a small group of teenagers pushed through the bushes, stepping into the small clearing that had been so perfectly undisturbed.   
  
Sasuke finished pulling on his shirt, Naruto smiling sheepishly at the group.  
  
Sasuke noted that a couple of the girls seemed very appreciative at Naruto's half-naked state, their eyes greedily swiping over tan chest. Sasuke did not like it one bit. No one should see Naruto's body other than him.   
  
"Come on, let's head back to the car," Sasuke said, pulling on his sneakers. He just wanted to get back home so he could fuck Naruto senseless, furious that the kids had interrupted them.   
  
Naruto finished putting on his clothes, and together they left quickly, Naruto waving and grinning at the girls, the girls giggling.   
  
Sasuke pulled at the clothes that clung to his wet body, hating the clammy feeling. He couldn’t wait to get back home, get out of this and take a shower. The one downside to bathing outside meant that it gave his hair time to dry, taken on all kinds of looks he did not like. He'd need to get it wet before he could get it the way he liked it. Although Naruto's mentions of liking his hair slicked back made him think maybe he should try something new for once.   
  
The jog back to the car was uneventful, and soon Sasuke parked the car at home, the two of them walking upstairs to his apartment. They had been spending most of their time over at Naruto's, Sasuke finding that he preferred the cosy apartment to his cold one, but his own wasn’t too bad when Naruto was there. The blond had a way of brightening a place up, filling it with a life that hadn’t been there previously.   
  
He left Naruto on the couch, the blond already busy playing with the remote to the TV, zapping through the channels. Sasuke dropped his now wet clothes on the bathroom floor, stepping into the large glass shower, turning on the hot water, letting it soothe the muscles on his back. Sure, they had just been bathing, but he had no idea how clean that water was, and much preferred to get properly clean afterwards.   
  
Turning around he leaned against the cool tile, feeling the warmth of the water trail down his neck, small streams down escaping to trail down his chest. A soft smile grazed his lips as he felt a pair of strong arms wrap themselves around his midsection, a hard body pressing against his back. Soft lips pressed against his nape, small kisses that soon grew fiercer as hands started stroking against Sasuke's abdomen.  
  
Sasuke titled his head back, resting it on Naruto's shoulder, happy for the company in the shower as he twisted his face, claiming Naruto's wandering lips in a hot kiss. Naruto answered, his tongue dipping out to move against his own. He could feel Naruto's erection pressing against the crack of his ass, and gently he moved his hips, brushing against the hard length, pulling a needy moan out of Naruto's mouth   
  
"God, I want you so bad, Sasuke," Naruto said in a husk, his hands grasping Sasuke's hips, pulling him close, pressing his length against him, hard and insistent. Sasuke was almost ready to allow him, almost.   
  
"Too bad I won earlier," he said, teasingly. Naruto's blue eyes blazed with fire as a deliberately long, slow thrust moved along Sasuke's ass, brushing against that puckered opening.  
  
"Sure you care about that right now, _Sasuke_?" Naruto asked, his voice low, dragging out his name in the most delicious way. His mouth moved to Sasuke's neck, biting at the supple flesh, his hands digging firmly into Sasuke's hips. There was no doubt in Sasuke's mind that Naruto could top him quite expertly, the blond was no true bottom, but he didn’t know if he could relinquish that control yet, wasn’t ready to be so vulnerable.  
  
Spinning around in Naruto's arms he pressed their lips together, his tongue pressing past plump lips to devour Naruto's mouth in a searing hot kiss. "I'm going to take you back to the bedroom, spread your ass wide open and fill you until all you can think of is how good my cock feels inside you, and you'll be begging me to fuck you harder." Sasuke loved the way Naruto moaned lewdly at Sasuke's words, apparently not having a trouble with bottoming anymore.   
  
Sasuke moved his hands to Naruto's ass, one finger pressing hard on the puckered opening, not entering him, just massaging around it, showing exactly where he planned to spear into soon. Naruto was thrusting against him now, eager for more.   
  
"Let's go to the bedroom," Sasuke stated, turning off the shower and walking out of the bathroom, water dripping off his naked body. He didn’t have the patience to dry off now; his cock was aching to be buried inside Naruto.  
  
Naruto followed behind him, and Sasuke was quick to grab him and toss him to the bed the moment they were close enough. Naruto sprawled out, cocky grin on his face, his dick hard, water droplets trailing down his body, looking utterly delicious. Sasuke took the time to pull lube and a condom out of his nightstand before crawling up to him, sitting on his knees between Naruto's legs, using his hands to spread him wide open for him. Naruto's hands were moving lazily across his body, knowing how good he looked like this, naked on his back.   
  
Sasuke didn’t have the patience for long, drawn-out foreplay, so he grabbed the lube, coating his fingers before he lifted one of Naruto's legs, placing the strong thigh over his shoulders, giving him easy access to his ass. Without preamble he pushed a slick digit in, giving Naruto no more time to prepare for the invasion. Naruto arched off the bed, a long moan ripped from his mouth as he clenched around the digit, forcing his body to relax around it. Sasuke gave him a short pause before starting to move the finger, soon able to push another finger in, scissoring to open Naruto for him. Naruto was twisting underneath him; eyes clenched shut, muscles tense. Then Sasuke found his prostate, and Naruto's eyes slammed open.  
  
"God, yes!" he hissed as Sasuke stimulated him. Sasuke loved seeing him like this, liked him trashing in pleasure.   
  
Running out of patience, he finished prepping his lover and pulled on the condom, lubing up. He pulled up Naruto's other leg and slowly pushed inside, having to force himself to not slam to the hilt immediately. Naruto was warm and tight around him, and in this position he could see every emotion flicker over his face, the way his nose scrunched up when it hurt a little, how his lips parted as he moaned in pleasure, how his eyes flew open as Sasuke finally pressed against his prostate again.   
  
Sasuke's fingers dug into Naruto's thighs as he finally entered him completely, the pressure was almost too much for him. He was close to an orgasm already, the shower and their bathing together having made him too turned on for too long.  
  
"Goddammit, Sasuke, move already," Naruto moaned, his hips arching up, searching for stimuli. Sasuke waited a few seconds longer, loving the control he had over Naruto right now, but his patience snapped soon, his hips pulling back before slamming back in, ripping a scream from Naruto.   
  
As he set the pace, fast and hard, Naruto's hands flew to his back, pulling him close, nails raking over his skin, bringing it up in angry welts. Sasuke moaned as the pain mingled with the pleasure, almost overpowering him. An orgasm was already building in his gut, but Sasuke was determined not to come first.   
  
He snaked a hand in-between their bodies, wrapping it firmly around Naruto's cock, moving up the length in time with his thrusts. It didn’t take long until Naruto arched his hips, coming hard, cum splattering his chest and abdomen.   
  
Grabbing Naruto's hips Sasuke moved hard and fast, taking only a few thrusts before he too came hard, his orgasm ripping through him violently. He couldn't stop the scream that rose in his throat, the sound highly uncharacteristic for him, but uncontrollable as he emptied himself, finally falling limply on top of Naruto as his arms and legs couldn’t keep his weight anymore.   
  
Naruto wrapped his arms firmly around him, chuckling silently. "I'm gonna show you how good this can be one of these days."  
  
"Hn," Sasuke retorted, words above him at the moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twenty chapters! :D And still several to go. Just wanna say thank you to everyone that has taken the time to read this fic so far. Every hit, kudos and comment means a lot to me. <3 You guys rock.


	21. Chapter 21

Naruto dug through his closet, in search of something nice to wear. It had been three weeks since Sasuke and he had started dating officially, but they had yet to go out on an actual date in public, spending all of their times together at either one of their places, but yesterday Sasuke had actually asked if Naruto wanted to go out to dinner with him. Naruto was silently very happy Sasuke had asked him, not having wanted to push the matter. He had this, hopefully unfounded, fear that Sasuke would be embarrassed to be shown in public with him, that he wouldn't want people to know they were a couple, but it might seem like he had worried for nothing.  
  
After he’d pulled out a pair of dark slacks and a white shirt Naruto ripped the towel he'd put around his waist after his shower off and got dressed. He scrutinized himself in the full length mirror hanging in his bedroom. The shirt was old, and apparently he’d bulked up since then, so it was tighter than what he usually wore, stretching across his shoulders in a way that put his muscles on display. Not his usual look, but maybe Sasuke would appreciate it? The raven always wore super flattering clothes that showed off all his assets, maybe Naruto should do the same? The slacks were plain, in a charcoal colour, but they didn’t have any holes, so they would have to do for now. He rolled the sleeves of the shirt up to his elbows and left the topmost two buttons undone, hating how shirts tended to feel like they were choking him. His fingers brushed by the soft skin where he’d only weeks before had his throat nearly ripped out as he adjusted the collar. He could feel soft bumps where the scar tissue hadn’t faded completely, and the new skin was still a bit more sensitive than the surrounding skin, but it wouldn’t take long until all trace of the attack was gone from his body completely.  
  
Deeming himself presentable he headed back to the bathroom, scooping some hair wax into his hands and trying to beat his hair into submission. It proved to be a futile act, the strands demanding to run free no matter what. Giving up and just ruffling it into their usual messy state he splashed on a tad of cologne, figuring it was good enough for now. Sasuke had only said that they were going to eat somewhere nice, so Naruto hoped this was nice enough. He hadn’t eaten anywhere fancy before, so he really had no idea.  
  
Five minutes later Sasuke rang his doorbell. Naruto opened it, his eyes bugging. Sasuke looked… breathtakingly handsome. He had a midnight blue shirt on, the material soft, not quite silk, but not ordinary cotton either. The tie was a deep red, and his pants black, hugging his thighs and probably ass as well, although Naruto would have to wait for him to turn before he could affirm that. The most stunning about him was his hair though. The black tresses were pulled away from his face, showing off sharp cheekbones and his captivating eyes. A small part of Naruto couldn’t help but to want to gloat, knowing he was the reason Sasuke had changed his hairdo tonight, remembering the conversation when they went swimming.  
  
A grin spread on Naruto's lips as he hooked two fingers in the belt hoops of Sasuke's pants, pulling him close for a kiss. He didn’t think he would ever get tired of kissing Sasuke, to plunge his tongue in that warm mouth, Sasuke's tongue always eager to lash against his in a playful duel.  
  
Finally pulling apart, the kiss having turned into more than the greeting Naruto had intended he saw a pleased smirk on Sasuke's face. "I gather you approve?"  
  
"Hell yeah, you look amazing," Naruto answered, pulling the door shut and locking it, the two of them heading downstairs to Sasuke's Lexus. Naruto didn’t have a car, so they always used Sasuke's. Not that Naruto minded, the car was great, and Sasuke was an excellent driver. He was kind of hoping he'd be allowed behind the wheel one of these days though, but so far it wasn't happening. Sasuke just stared at him until he went to sit in the passenger seat if he tried to hint that he wanted to drive.  
  
Fifteen minutes later they pulled into a parking complex downtown, and headed to a high-rise close by. Naruto peered around expectantly, wondering where they were going as the doors to the elevator dinged open at the top floor. His eyes widened as they stepped out, the floor they were on all marble and steel and glass. Suddenly regretting his choice to forgo his tie he followed after Sasuke as he approached the maître d', not even having to state his name, the maître d' just bowed and lead them inside the restaurant to a table overlooking the city. Naruto bounced around on his seat. "This is like insane! Look at that view, I can see everything from here!"  
  
Sasuke just crooked his lips into that almost-smile he did and opened the menu, peering at it.  
  
It took Naruto a bit more ogling before he was ready to dive into the menu, salivating at all the choices. Apparently the place was a sort of Asian fusion, and just about everything on the menu looked tasty.  


***

  
Kakuzu stood just inside the door, looking over the room in front of him, face a passive mask. He saw a few of the nearest people cast him a vary glance before turning away again. Kakuzu had left his face mask at home, knowing it pulled even more attention than the scars on his face did. People still noticed him though, his Glasgow smile tended to have that affect. Tilting his head forward enough that his long hair fell partly in front of his face, leaving it in shadow he turned towards his partner in crime.  
  
“Have you taken care of the emergency exits?”  
  
“What the fuck do you think, of course I did. Locked and sealed, this place is shut down tighter than your mother’s pussy.”  
  
Kakuzu ignored the crass words, he was well used to them by now. His eyes trailed the dance floor, seeing a couple dozen people gyrating to the music, completely oblivious to the fate they were about to meet.   
  
Turning around he went back out the main entrance. There was no line outside, it was too early and a weekday to boot. Just as well, it just made everything easier for them. He walked across the street and towards the alley running alongside the brick building opposite of the club, seeing the group of people standing there as they'd agreed upon.  
  
“They are all yours, make sure you block the main entrance after you get inside” he said and continued into the alley, grabbing the lowest rung of a fire escape ladder and hauling himself up, quickly climbing to the top of the building. He heard Hidan following. They walked to the edge of the roof, where they could look down on the club. Prime seats. Kakuzu saw twenty or so dark-clad men and women vanish in the front door of the club, and knew exactly what would be happening inside.  
  
Even across the street they could hear the fain thump of music emanating from the club, but soon it was broken by muffled screams.. He pulled his gun from its holster and kept his eyes on the street below, ready to take down anyone trying to escape the carnage within.   
  


***

  
The meal was just as good as Sasuke had expected. He had never been here before, not having anyone to bring, but he knew the owner from last year, and had called in a favour to get them in on a short notice. The owner's daughter had been mixed up with a very bad crowd, stupid teenagers thinking that being a vampire would be a good thing, and Sasuke had been the one to get her out of the den when they’d finally met the beings of the night and realised that there would be no eternal life, but a whole lot of blood and pain and death. Her old man had been happy enough to get her back that he had offered Sasuke a free meal whenever he would feel like it. Sasuke had brushed it off at the time, not seeing any romantic dates in his future, but a lot of things had changed in the last weeks.  
  
Sasuke was about to ask Naruto if he wanted desert when his phone went off in his pocket. He never put it on mute, knowing that the few people who did call him only did so if it was actually important. The caller ID read _Kakashi,_ and he mouthed the name to Naruto before taking the call.  
  
"Sasuke! I need you at work, ASAP," Kakashi said, no greeting to lead on, no teasing, just a very serious demand that had Sasuke push away from the table immediately. This was clearly an emergency. Waving at Naruto to follow him he quickly walked to the elevators, getting a quick update from Kakashi.  
  
Apparently a situation was unfolding at a local club. Someone inside had called 911 and told of vampires before the call got disconnected. The whole Unit was called in to take care of the situation. They were realistic enough to set their goals to stop the vampires from escaping. The chance that anyone would still be alive inside the club was slim to none, and even though no one would say that out loud they all knew it. From the call there seemed to be a group of vampires doing the attack, which meant they would have their work cut out for them. A single vampire was bad enough, stick a whole lot of them together, egging each other on, working together: it would be mayhem.   
  
As they got into the car and set off towards the club Naruto’s phone went off, Kakashi calling him back to work as well. Naruto acted like he didn’t already know what was up, saying he'd be there soon. Looking over at him Sasuke saw Naruto staring furiously out the windshield. Naruto had a way of connection to everyone, and even though he didn’t know a single one of the victims he would feel their deaths as something personal, saddened by their demise, eager to ensure no one else suffered the same fate. Naruto was all about the victims, where Sasuke was more set on taking down the vampires for the sake of ridding the world of them, not out of some pity for people he didn’t know. Either reasoning meant one thing, they wanted to get out there and get the demons, sending them back to the hell they had come from.  
  
"Shit," Naruto suddenly hissed. "My weapons are all at home."  
  
Neither had anticipated going hunting tonight, but Sasuke was always prepared, his katana in the trunk of the car, along with various other weapons. He was not about to go anywhere without them, part of him always expecting to suddenly be faced with the demon that had stolen his family from him.  
  
"There's a gun and ammo in the glove department," Sasuke said, eyes on the road as they neared the club Kakashi had directed him to. Naruto popped it open and pulled out a gun similar to the one he usually used, so Sasuke knew Naruto would know how to wield it. The bullets were standard hollow points with silver, so they'd do the job just fine. Naruto loaded the gun quickly, the clip sliding in with a click.  
  
Red and blue lights bounced off the buildings, marking their arrival at the club. Two sole police cars were parked to block the street from incoming traffic. The policemen were doing as instructing, keeping the hell away from the scene. It would be the DPA’s job to go inside and take care of everything; the police was merely there for backup, to ensure more civilians wouldn't be pulled into the fray.   
  
Sasuke stopped his car on the sidewalk, and with weapons in hand they hurried towards the scene, hoping they wouldn't be too late. It would be a lot easier to deal with the vampires if they were still inside, rather than have to try and search the city for them.   
  
They saw a familiar shock of hair, the silhouette easily recognisable anywhere, getting out of a car, and hurried towards their unit leader. Kakashi’s face was grim, or what they could see of it appeared to be at least. He had his mask and eye patch firmly in place, but his visible eye was narrowed as he stared towards the entrance of the club. He had a gun on his side, and a short sword in a sheath on his back, and looked ready to join the fight. As unit leader he rarely joined them in the field, but apparently he had deemed this dangerous enough to join the fray.   
  
The rest of the unit joined them in the next few minutes. Sasuke was well aware that there might still be people inside alive, but if they ran in senseless and low in numbers chances were that they’d just end up joining the body count.  
  
“The place has been shut down tight from what we can tell. All emergency exits have been locked, and the front door has been barricaded from the inside. No one has left the premises, meaning the vampires are still in there. We have no idea how many there is, or if they are sane. I want Kiba, Kankuro, Sakura and Lee to head to the back, go in by the emergency exit there, I trust Lee can kick in the doors. Neji and Shikamaru, you take the personnel entrance, over in the alley, Gaara and Temari you protect the entrance when we enter, do not allow a single vampire to leave. Sasuke and Naruto, you’ll be joining me through the main entrance.” Kakashi did not open up for discussions, and Sasuke knew that this was why Kakashi was leader. He might spend hours reading dirty books, but beneath that were a strategist and a fighter.   
  
They scattered, and Kakashi turned towards Sasuke and Naruto as he pulled his gun, flicking off the safety. His hand moved towards his face, hesitating for a moment before grabbing the eye patch and quickly pulling it off.   
  
Sasuke had seen him without the patch before, once, so he knew what to expect underneath, but he felt Naruto tense in surprise next to him, and Sasuke knew the blond moron would like nothing more than to ask Kakashi about it. To be honest, Sasuke had been just as shocked the first time he’d seen him remove the covering. He’d always assumed that Kakashi had lost his eye at some point, the scar running from forehead to cheek fit well with that, but there was a very different reason Kakashi wore the patch.  
  
The red iris flashed in the dark of the street as Kakashi headed towards the entrance as if he hadn't noticed Naruto gawking.  
  
“No one knows what the deal is, so don’t ask,” Sasuke said to Naruto as they followed their leader.  
  
“It… looks like the eye of a vampire…” Naruto muttered in surprise, eyes wide as he stared at the back of Kakashi’s head as if he could see the red eye straight through his skull.  
  
“So does yours when you shift. Now, focus.”  
  
Naruto hesitated for a moment, and then nodded. Curiosity could be sated later; right now they had a job to do.   
  
Kakashi took point as they neared the double doors where Gaara and Temari were already waiting. Temari was leaning against a small battering ram, looking more than ready to get down to business. Gaara just looked like he always did, completely blank. Sasuke wasn’t sure how why people always thought he was so antisocial when they worked with Gaara as well. Just because Sasuke tended to be hostile towards people where Gaara just ignored them. Temari had confessed that teenage Gaara made Sasuke look like a true people’s person in comparison, and he didn’t really have to struggle to imagine that.  
  
“You guys ready?” Temari said.  
  
Kakashi answered in the affirmative, and the siblings grabbed the ram, aiming well before sending it slamming into the front door. It shuddered, but withstood the attack. Another swing of the ram and the wood buckled inwards. Sasuke tightened his grip around his blade, knowing the noise from the battering ram would most likely draw the attention of anyone inside.  
  
With a grunt Temari and Gaara pulled the battering ram back again before sending it flying. It connected with the wood of the door, and with a scream of protest the door buckled inwards, shattering out of its frame. Not only had it been locked, but a stack of tables and chairs had been pushed in front of it, blocking it off, ensuring that no one would’ve been able to escape that way. These vampires were clearly not caught up in the throes of blood lust, these were clearheaded, and that was not necessarily a good thing. They’d be well aware that there would be hunters after them, and they’d be prepared for the fight. Sated from blood they’d be strong and agile and vicious. Sasuke could not wait to carve them to pieces with his blade.   
  
Kakashi was first through the doors, pushing aside the rubble inside to get access to the hallway within. Sasuke came second, with Naruto on his heels.   
  
The carpet underneath their shoes were soggy with the blood that had at one point run through the veins of the five or so bodies left abandoned right by the door to the outside. So close to getting out from hell, but stopped before they could get past the blockade. Their necks were all torn out. The vampires hadn’t even drunk their blood, just killed them, for sports or fun, or some other equally pointless reason.  
  
Sasuke looked away. There was nothing he could do to help them, and they had more pressing matters. They needed to take care of the vampires so the clean-up crew could get in and start the process of ensuring that none of the bodies would rise.  
  
The music was still thumping, as if the party was still going strong, but the few people they could see were all bodies on the ground, dead and broken. Sasuke looked away, knowing that seeing them would not help. He needed to be alert, needed to find the vampires. The building was surrounded, so they’d still be here, lurking, waiting for a break to escape or a chance to kill them as well.   
  
There! Movement to his right. Sasuke snapped towards it, arm swinging up in preparation to strike by instinct. A dark hole in the wall with a desk in front of it. The coat check. Coat check girl splayed across the desk, wrist a bloody mess of torn flesh. Hazel eyes wide open and locked on the ceiling. Completely still in death. Not the one to have moved then. Sasuke tapped on Naruto’s shoulder and pointed towards the dark maw that was the coat check room. Someone had broken the bulb that would have normally lit up the room, ensuring that it was all engulfed in darkness.   
  
Naruto nodded and followed, alert to anything else around them as Sasuke swiftly moved around the desk and into the small, dark room. A flash of two red circles and his blade flew through the air, angled just below the light, where the neck would be. His calculation was off by a little, carving through half of the vampire’s neck before getting lodged on his or hers collarbone. He cursed and yanked the blade away, kicking the half-decapitated vampire to the ground as he lifted his blade again and brought it down, this time finishing the job. He toed the head towards the back of the room for good measure as he scanned the small room, making sure that there were no other vampires hiding in the darkness.   
  
Finding the room empty apart from coats he moved back into the hallway and saw that Kakashi had moved towards a new hallway veering off to the right. Bathrooms. The three of them spared no time kicking open the doors, scanning them for vampires. Kakashi placed a bullet between the eyes of one vampire that had been too preoccupied with sucking at a blonde girl’s neck to put up a fight. The beast was thrown back by the force of the bullet slamming into his skull and ended up sprawled on the dirty tiles, the hole in his forehead expanded quickly as the hollow bullet released its silver content, eating at its flesh. It would not go anywhere.   
  
Two vampires taken care of, but they had no idea how many they were up against.   
  
Back in the main hallway they looked down to where the music was coming from. The hallway took a sharp turn to the right, so they couldn’t see anything, but they were mentally preparing for the mayhem that the club had likely become. The lack of any screams since entering the club told them that they were too late to save anyone, now it was about ensuring the killers never left this place.   
  
Kakashi went first, and as Sasuke made to follow he felt a strong hand on his shoulder. He looked down and saw Naruto’s fingers tighten in a reassuring squeeze for a moment before he pulled away. Sasuke looked up at him, saw steely determination in those blue eyes and could read the “don’t you dare die” that Naruto was trying to tell him. Sasuke nodded sharply, telling Naruto the same.   
  
Weapons at the ready they set off down the hallway, into the fight.  
  


***

  
“Shit!” Kiba hissed and pressed his back against the wall out of sight for a moment. He’d peered around the wall just long enough to see that the office had two vampires, eyes bright red, faces smeared with blood. They’d noticed him though, and it was only a matter of seconds until they came barrelling out of the room. There were no windows, so Kiba was currently right in the middle of their only way out. Not good.   
  
Kankuro was out of commission. The first vampire they had met had decided to forgo the usual bite-first-ask-later routine in favour of actual hand-to-hand combat. The body the demon had taken over must’ve been a black belt or something, because he’d pulled some moves Kiba had never seen before, ending with Kankuro messing up his leg before they could plant a bullet in his skull. There weren’t really time to do a thorough check, but at best it was a bad sprain, at worst something was broken. Either way, Kank was pretty much useless right now, so Kiba had placed him in a corner where he could shoot anyone coming too close while Kiba set off to get back-up from the others. They could’ve pulled out completely, but that would have left the exit they were supposed to guard open. Sakura and Lee had already moved further into the building, so they were no good. He’d have to find them before he got Kank out of there. Too bad there were currently two vampires between him and wherever Ms Pink and Mr Bowl Cut had vanished to.   
  
There was really no time to come up with a plan as the very next moment the first vampire came tearing out of the room, fangs bared. Kiba shot. Once. Twice. Three times. One bullet burrowed into the wall behind the vampire. One hit a shoulder where it barely made the demon wince. The third went through its throat, exploding as it tore through his spine. The vampire collapsed to the ground. Not all dead yet, but definitely out of commission for a while.   
  
Kiba barely had time to take a breath before the next vamp flew through the door. It jumped across his fallen comrade, and as Kiba started firing the thing ducked and rolled, taking Kiba by surprise. His gun followed, but a bit too late, bullets digging into the floorboards, and suddenly the vampire sprang up, its shoulder connecting with Kiba’s gut.   
  
Air whooshed out of him as he doubled over, but he kept his gun in hand, ready to fire.   
  
He never got the opportunity. The vampire didn’t use his chance to attack Kiba, he used it to get the hell outta Dodge. He’d run past Kiba and was currently making for the emergency exit Lee had kicked open earlier. Kiba just got to see him high-tail out of the back when he heard gun shots to his side, from where Kankuro was sitting. Torn between pursuing the fleeing vampire and finding his partner he hesitated.   
  
Then he realised he was being an idiot for not thinking Kankuro was more than capable of taking care of himself and that their job was to stop any vampires and he hightailed it after the fleeing bastard.  
  


***

  
  
“So, the shithead definitely works with the DPA then,” Hidan said, running a hand through his hair.  
  
“Appears so,” Kakuzu answered in affirmation.   
  
“What now? We bag him up and bring him to Itachi?”   
  
“No, not yet. We investigate further. Itachi wanted to know of any weaknesses Sasuke might have.”  
  
Hidan grinned. “I keep forgetting how fucking twisted some of these vampire can be.”   
  
Kakuzu just looked at Hidan. The silver-haired man was definitely not one to talk, he used whatever opportunity he could find to create mayhem after all, never happier than when he could tear someone apart limb, by limb. Kakuzu didn’t see the need in all of this excessive violence; as long as he got paid he was satisfied. Hidan would give up money if it meant he could play with his victims. Stupid.   
  
Itachi had been more than a little intrigued when Hidan and Kakuzu had told him about just who they met in Las Vegas and had promised them ample payment for finding Sasuke and gather some information he wanted. Itachi didn’t just want to kill Sasuke; he wanted him alive and broken. Kakuzu hadn’t really bothered to inquire just why, as long as he got paid he didn’t care.  
  
They’d spent a while investigating, having tracked down where Sasuke lived. There were very little information on him to be unearthed, but they’d pieced together what they found, and eventually they had his home address, and had tracked him to a building that housed the DPA offices. Which made a lot of sense. His big brother had been attack and turned into a vampire, and then the demon who’d taken over his body had killed their parents as well, leaving Sasuke alone in the world. Wouldn’t be the first guy to devote himself to revenge. Useless really, revenge meant nothing.  
  
“Shit, we have a runner,” Hidan suddenly said, peering down into the alley.  
  
“Take care of him,” Kakuzu ordered, knowing Hidan would love the opportunity. The silver-haired man had wanted to join the fray inside the club, and had only reluctantly agreed to stay out of it. But now one of the fresh turns they had hired to attack the club was fleeing, and they could not allow that. The vampires didn’t know it, thought they would have a feat and then go home, but Kakuzu had no intention to allow them to leave. They served a single purpose, and that was to create enough mayhem to draw out the DPA, and then die. They couldn't allow them to talk and potentially harm their plan.   
  
Hidan jumped over the ledge, and Kakuzu heard boots against a rickety fire escape. He hoped Hidan had enough wits to kill the vampire quickly and then come back. Unfortunately his partner had the tendency to get a bit… caught up whenever he got to play.  
  


***

  
Kiba threw open the door to the alley, hoping that he hadn’t hesitated too long and allowed the vamp to escape. His head snapped from one side to the other as he scanned the area he could see, hoping to see the vampire curled up behind a dumpster or something. What he saw was definitely more surprising than that.   
  
The vampire hadn’t left the alley, but not because he was hiding. No, it hadn’t gotten away because it was pinned against a wall, knife through his gut like some butterfly on display. Right in front of the vampire a man stood, back towards Kiba. He could see dark clothes and silver hair, and if it hadn’t been for the slicked-back style he would have almost thought it was Kakashi, but their unit leader's hair had never looked that neat before.  
  
Kiba lifted his gun, training it at this new man, having no idea who he was or why he was here.   
  
“Hands above your head,” he called out, finger at the trigger, ready to pull if it was needed.  
  
The other man shifted, hesitating a moment before his hands lifted and he started turning towards Kiba. Violet eyes flashed in the darkness, and Kiba tensed his grip. The man was obviously not a vampire, but he wasn’t human either.   
  
“Who are you?” Kiba asked, sparing a quick glance towards the vampire pinned up against the wall. It wasn't dead, but it wouldn’t be going anywhere anytime soon by the look of it. The knife through the chest had apparently been busy before being plunged through his ribcage. There were gaping wounds across the vampire’s flesh, dark wounds in pale flesh. Obviously the blade was steel, because the vampire wasn’t turning to dust.   
  
“I just figured you needed some help,” the man said, grinning.   
  
“With torturing a vampire?”  
  
“Well, I was going to kill him. Eventually.”  
  
Kiba moved his gun away from the man long enough to pull the trigger and plant a bullet in the skull of the vampire, killing it instantaneously. The silver-haired man didn’t even flinch as the bullet sped past him.   
  
Kiba was about to demand some proper answers when a heavy weight slammed into him, knocking him over. FUCK! He’d lost focus, messed up like some goddamned rookie.   
  
He brought his elbow up, felt it crack into something hard and winced at the pain that laced through his arm. Jaw, skull? He didn’t know, but the hit was enough to allow him to roll away and get to his feet to face his opponent.   
  
Shoulder-length hair hung in clumps around her face, clotted with blood to the point where he couldn’t tell what colour it had once been. Eyes flashed red, and her lips were pulled away from his fangs in a sneer. She was crouching as a predator on the hunt, and Kiba knew it would take her a split-second to be upon him if she jumped.   
  
Kiba lifted his gun just as her thighs pushed her towards him in a leap.  
  


***

  
Naruto poked his arm, feeling the beginnings of an impressive bruise bloom on his skin. Not bad to come away from mayhem with only a bruise. Okay, maybe a couple bruises. And a busted lip. Not to mention the scratches down one underarm where one vampire had gotten too close for comfort. Okay, maybe he totally looked like he’d been locked in a cage with a pissed off bear, but he was still standing, and that was helluva lot more than he could say about some of his co-workers.  
  
“Hey, Kank, make sure they get the prettiest nurse to give you a sponge bath,” Kiba called out as Kankuro was wheeled into an ambulance. Kankuro just threw up his middle finger. He had been trying to refuse the stretcher altogether, but Kakashi had insisted. The rest of the team didn’t look any better. Bruises and cuts aplenty. But they were all alive and ready to get back out into the field. In a few days. Kakashi had insisted on a mandatory three day leave for everyone, no matter how wounded they were. One of the other units would take over dealing with the vampiric forces until they were less… busted up.   
  
Naruto looked over his shoulder towards the club. From outside it looked deceptively normal. No windows to show the carnage inside. He knew exactly how it did look behind the inconspicuous brick though; vampires and bodies lay scattered all around the place. The cleaners would have a hellish day at work tonight, making sure none of the bodies rose from death. Naruto was glad he would not be the one to go through the guts and dusts to identify the dead before shoving stakes through their chests.   
  
Naruto saw Kakashi talking to one of the cops, explaining the situation, that the vampires were dealt with, and that the DPA would take care of any further investigations. They had no idea why a huge den of vampires had decided to attack the club all of a sudden. They must’ve known that it was a shitty idea. Not a single one of them had been able to escape. It seemed like they had gone inside and locked down the place. Every exit had been locked or blocked, effectively trapping them inside just as much as the humans. It was weird as fuck.   
  
The brightest spot of light in the massacre was that they had, against all odds, managed to save someone from inside the club. One of the bartenders and a young woman had barricaded themselves inside a cabinet in the stock room, and Neji and Shikamaru had been able to get to them before the vampires, keeping them protected until they could get them out.   
  
Naruto’s jaws stretched in a sudden yawn. The adrenaline was leaving his system, and he was more than ready to crash for the night. He glanced over at Sasuke. The raven was composed as always, but Naruto saw how his eyelids were drooping a little, showing that he was tired as well. Naruto wanted nothing more than to sleep, and would have loved to do so curled up to Sasuke, but Kiba was walking right behind them, and slung an arm around Naruto. As if Naruto wasn’t already covered in grime he was now getting second-hand grime all over himself. Yuck.  
  
"Want a ride home, Naruto?" Kiba asked. Normally Naruto would have appreciated the gesture, but he had kind of hoped he would have caught a ride with Sasuke, seeing as then they could have just stayed at the same apartment. He didn’t think Sasuke would want Kiba to know about their relationship though, so he kept that to himself.  
  
"Sure, Kiba, that would be great," Naruto smiled tiredly, following after him to his Honda, sliding into the passenger seat. He cast a last glance at Sasuke as they drove past each other, grinning to show that he didn’t mean anything by not coming home with him. It wasn’t like they would have the energy to do anything either way, they'd just fall asleep instantly.  
  
Kiba had to shove him to wake him when they reached his apartment building, Naruto smiling sheepishly over the fact that he had dozed off, thanking Kiba for the ride, before dragging himself upstairs.  
  
His face split in a wide grin as he saw who was waiting for him outside his door.  
  
"Sasuke!" he exclaimed, momentarily forgetting he was tired.  
  
"I figured I needed to make sure you didn’t fall asleep in the hallway or something," Sasuke said as Naruto unlocked the door, walking in and heading directly for the bathroom.  
  
"Yeah right, just admit it, you can't sleep alone anymore," Naruto shot back as he pulled off his shirt and toed off his shoes, quickly wriggling out of his slacks before jumping in the shower. Sasuke rolled his eyes, but didn’t argue as he too took of his clothes and joined Naruto. They rinsed off quickly, only touching each other to wash dirt off each other’s backs. They were too tired to even think of anything sexual at this point. A quick towelling and they crawled into bed.  
  
Sasuke always lay proper on his back when they went to sleep, making it so Naruto had to do the snuggling although by the time they woke up Sasuke had moved, snuggling close to Naruto, his sleep state obviously not worried about appearance. Naruto curled up against him, his breath synching with Sasuke's, and soon they drifted off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chappie! Less smut and more action and blood and stuff. :3 Hope you liked! <3


	22. Chapter 22

“Ma’am, please calm down. Where did you see the vampires?” Naruto asked, trying to calm down the woman who was gesticulating wildly. He had to dodge a hand that flew at his face as she threw it out to point down the street.  
  
“They are in the park, by the swing set! I am sure they were just waiting for babies to eat or something. Oh! You have to save the babies!”   
  
The lady had called 911 some minutes ago, yelling about how she’d seen vampires when she was out taking her dog for a walk. Sasuke and Naruto had been closest to the scene and were immediately dispatched. So far she had wasted at least three minutes by telling them how traumatized she was rather than actually show them were the vampires were. He could tell that Sasuke was just about to snap beside him, he was thrumming with repressed anger. Sasuke had no patience, and in this case it was severely tested. They had to find the vampires before they could escape, and hearing about how she’d nearly had a heart attack was not going to help them one bit.   
  
The park should be good enough to go by though, so they took off right in the middle of her rant of how it just wasn’t safe for ordinary citizens anymore, and how she could never ever take her precious pooch for a walk after dark anymore.   
  
Naruto fell into step beside Sasuke as they ran down the street towards the park she’d indicated. They had no idea what they would find; her estimate number of vampires had changed from three to seven just while they talked to her. They could be fresh turns or vampires in blood lust or just your ordinary demons hell-bent on draining innocent humans.   
  
Not that there should be a whole lot of babies in danger though, it was eleven pm after all, he wouldn’t think a whole lot of parents brought their kids to the playground this late.   
  
Soon buildings gave way for a small park, a white fence separating it from the sidewalk. They didn't waste any time trying to find a gateway but jumped over the fence, and ran across the grass, on the alert for any sounds. There were no guarantee that the vampires were still hanging around the park, but they had to ready in case they were waiting for them.   
  
Laughter sounded from between dark trees and Naruto shot Sasuke a quick glance. A small nod in return and the two fanned out to come at the vampires from both sides.   
  
Naruto saw a slide and knew he’d had to be close. He clicked off the safety on his gun and took a quick breath before stepping out from behind the trees, angling his gun towards the playground, ready to fire immediately.   
  
“Shit!” he heard someone yell and saw three vampires hanging around the swing set, dark bottles strewn on the ground around them. The one sitting with his back against the side of the swing set jumped to his feet, hands in the air, eyes widened. The other two were in similar positions facing the other way, where Sasuke was standing with his katana.   
  
“Shit man, don’t shoot!” the one facing Naruto said, slurring his words slightly.   
  
Naruto cast a glance down at the ground and confirmed what he’d expected the moment he’d seen the guy. Beer bottles.   
  
Lowering his gun he met Sasuke’s eyes and saw that he’d likewise come to the same conclusion, his katana now pointed at the ground.   
  
“Just clean up your little party and head home, okay?” Naruto said to the three guys. The most he could’ve charged these with were public intoxication, and that was not his problem.  
  
He jogged towards Sasuke who had called in the update to Kakashi.   
  
“I can’t believe she called us for this,” Naruto muttered.  
  
“Hn.”   
  
Even so many years since the vampires made their presence known people still clung to the old myths. This was hardly the first time someone had seen a Goth and immediately come to the conclusion that it was vampires. Apparently all you needed to be a vampire were long hair and a couple of piercings.   
  
A mostly silent slide of metal told Naruto that Sasuke had put his blade just away. With the glare his face was set in it looked like he would have been more than tempted to use it on the woman who’d called them in if he saw her again. Which they would have to, to tell her that the babies and her pooch was safe, and thank her for her vigilance, because even if it was glaringly obvious they hadn’t been vampires, due to the fact that they were completely smashed and had perfectly normal eyes and blunt teeth, they were supposed to be glad civilians “helped” out.  
  
Naruto figured he should probably take the lead on that conversation, and the frosty look of annoyance in Sasuke’s eyes as Naruto tried to explain that they were just drunk punks and not actually bloodthirsty demons could have frozen hell over  
  
The woman did not look particularly convinced, and seemed to have preferred if they shot the guys just in case.   
  
“I can assure you that they weren't vampires, and that they won’t attack you or your dog,” Naruto said, fighting a laughter that threatened to bubble forth as he saw Sasuke grit his teeth. This was really testing Sasuke’s patience, and he looked sort of cute when he was pissed off. Not that he’d tell Sasuke that, he rather liked his nose and was pretty sure that any mentioning of Sasuke being cute would lead to it being rather severely broken.   
  
Finally the woman went back inside. “How bad do you want to bang your head against her door right now?” Naruto asked.  
  
“I want to bang _her_ head against the door,” Sasuke muttered as he turned around and stalked down the stairs. Naruto laughed as he hurried after him and slung an arm around his shoulders.   
  
“Come on, just be happy it wasn’t actually vampires munching on poor, defenceless babies,” Naruto teased, and he could’ve sworn he saw the corner of Sasuke’s lips twitch for a split-second before he brushed off Naruto’s arm.  
  


***

  
After a few hours patrolling downtown the partners headed back to the office. It had been a week since the slaughter at the club, and it looked like the preternatural beings had decided to take a break, because there hadn’t been anything to do this last week but chase ghosts. And then he didn’t mean actual ghosts, because that was Unit 3’s job, but metaphorical ghosts. The vampires had gone deep underground, and Naruto didn’t like it one bit. They probably only fed on hobos or other people that wouldn't be easily missed and stayed away from the limelight. Sneaky fuckers.   
  
Sasuke headed for his desk to start typing up a report, while Naruto headed to Kakashi’s office to give a quick rundown.   
  
When Kakashi called him in Naruto was surprised to find that for once the silver-haired man wasn’t reading a dirty book, he was actually sitting in front of his computer, typing, looking surprisingly like he was working. Kakashi finished whatever he was writing and looked up, smiling behind his mask. Naruto couldn’t help but to glance at the eye patch covering up his left eye. He still had no idea what the meaning of that red eye was, and he hadn’t asked after Sasuke pretty much explained that it wasn’t a thing they ever talked about. Kakashi was obviously not a vampire, because then he’d have killed them all a long time ago, not to forget that the other eye would’ve been red as well.   
  
He itched with curiosity, but figured he should keep his mouth shut, however hard it was. If Kakashi wanted to tell them he would eventually. Hopefully. Dammit, he really wanted to know!  
  
“How’d it go?” Kakashi asked.  
  
"No vampires anywhere," Naruto said with a shrug. "Sasuke got a bit testy with a woman for wasting our time, but I stopped him before he snapped completely." Cue eye roll. Sasuke had quite the temper underneath that stoic exterior, and somehow it seemed like the more time he spent around Naruto the easier that came to the surface. Apparently getting past Sasuke's well-maintained shields had opened the floodgates when it came to emotions. Ops?  
  
"I see," Kakashi said with his hands folded under his chin as he stared at Naruto, the one eye seemingly looking right through him. "Your partnership is going well then I recon?"  
  
Naruto grinned lopsidedly and ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, we're working thing out."  
  
"So, how is he in bed then? I've always imagined him just lying there, stiff as a stick." Kakashi straightened his back and let his arms flop down by his side as if to illustrate what he meant.  
  
Naruto sputtered, eyes widening. How the hell did Kakashi know about them? Fuck, was he some kind of mind reader? Did that eye come with super fancy paranormal powers that meant he knew what they were talking about? Fuck, did he know how often he thought about Sasuke naked? Shit!   
  
"I know the others haven’t caught on yet, but it's fairly obvious you know. You used to hate each other, and now you act like you don’t care about each other, but you come in at the same time most days, and you're both sporting hickeys on a daily basis, although Sasuke does a better job at hiding his."  
  
Naruto felt a blush creep to his cheeks. So, not a mind reader then. He grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his neck. Here they thought they had been so covert about it, and Kakashi had seen right through them.  
  
"It doesn’t matter to me, Naruto. We have no policy against relationships at the workplace, as long as you keep it professional."  
  
Naruto nodded. He wouldn't let any relationship get between him and his job. He was here to do his part in making the world a safer place.  
  
"Now, get out of here and screw his brains out, he's a lot more pleasant to be around these days, I'm thinking that is because of you."  
  
Naruto quickly left, feeling too awkward to say anything else. Sasuke was nowhere to be seen as he stepped into the work area, so Naruto just headed for the parking garage, finding Sasuke waiting for him by the car, arms crossed as he leaned against the door. He seemed to notice Naruto's blush.  
  
"What happened up there?" he asked as he pushed from the door and slid inside the car, turning it on.  
  
"Well, Kakashi knows about us now," Naruto said.  
  
"What? You told him?" Sasuke asked, sounding surprised.  
  
"Nah, I didn’t. He figured it out himself. His perv alert went off or something. He said he’d seen our hickeys and stuff..."  
  
Sasuke’s gaze dropped down to Naruto’s neck, where a fading bruise was visible just above his shirt collar. Naruto ran a hand through his hair and grinned sheepishly. They hadn’t really tried all that hard to hide their relationship, so it was almost a wonder no one else had found out. Maybe it helped that they were a pretty… unlikely couple.   
  
Naruto didn’t much care if the others knew or not, but he was afraid Sasuke wouldn’t like it. He didn’t look too bothered by the fact that Kakashi knew though, he just shrugged and drove off. Naruto figured it was as good a reaction as he could’ve expected.  
  
The rest of the drive was done in silence. Naruto had insisted they go to Sasuke’s apartment because he wanted a movie night before going to bed, and Sasuke had the clearly superior TV. Sasuke seemed okay with the idea, and he smiled softly and shook his head, as Naruto burst into a grin when he got his will.   
  


***

  
A couple of days later Naruto laughed loudly at a joke Kiba had just told him, obviously finding it absolutely hilarious. Apparently the others didn’t, they just looked at Kiba and Naruto laughing like crazy, wondering what they had snorted before going out. Sasuke was inclined to agree with them, he had no idea what would be funny with three dogs in a bar. So unhygienic.  
  
Meeting Neji's eyes he rolled his own, earning himself a small smirk from the Hyuuga. Neji seemed to agree fine with him, having no idea why the two goofballs were laughing so hard.  
  
Sasuke hadn’t intended on going out tonight, but Kiba had invited Naruto, and Sasuke hadn’t wanted to go home to an empty apartment, so he tagged along, as did most of their unit. They'd gone to their usual bar where they took up a booth, pulling a couple of chairs to it so they could all sit together.  
  
They had been here for a few hours already, laughing and drinking and talking. There had been no drinking contests, at least not so far, so Sasuke wasn’t drunk, just pleasantly buzzed from gin and tonics he had been nipping at. He found himself in a pretty good mood actually. Naruto was sitting next to him in the booth, and Sasuke loved the feeling of him pressed against him, his warm body touching his from shoulder to knee. Temari was sitting on his other side, but she was too busy with talking to Lee to notice it when Sasuke moved his hand slowly up Naruto's thigh. Naruto stiffened underneath him for a moment, but went right back to talking to Kiba across the table.  
  
Sasuke inched his hand up Naruto's leg, his thumb rubbing against the firm muscle. He felt Naruto's shoulder hitch slightly, but the blond kept on ignoring Sasuke, which only spurred him on more. His palm slid upwards, gently cupping Naruto through his jeans, rubbing against his crotch in small movements that wouldn’t be seen above the table.  
  
"So Neji, I heard Hinata is doing well," he said conversationally, diverting attention from what he was doing to Naruto underneath the table. He could feel Naruto's cock stir to life underneath his hand.  
  
"Yes, she is recuperating well. She's still home with her parents, but she plans on going back to college next semester. She is remarkably strong."  
  
"Well, she is a Hyuuga after all," Sasuke said, an exclamation from Lee stopping any conversation.  
  
"I will drink this entire beer at once, or I shall do two hundred push ups!"  
  
"Lee!" Temari said with a sigh, wrenching the beer out of Lee's hands. "Can't you drink normally for once?"  
  
"But we must celebrate our youth!" Lee yelled, conveniently drowning out the moan that escaped Naruto's lips as Sasuke caressed him through the heavy denim. Sasuke cast a stolen glance to the side, noting that Naruto was having a hard time not reacting visibly to what Sasuke was doing to him, his lips pressed firmly together.  
  
Sasuke grinned, hand moving up to the topmost button on Naruto's jeans, sending the blond shooting out of his seat. He stood behind Kankuro who was sitting on the chair closest to him, obviously trying to hide the hard on, stuttering that he needed to use the bathroom. Sasuke had to concentrate not to grin when he saw how flustered Naruto was.  


***

  
"Shit, shit, shit," Naruto muttered as he quickly made his way to the bathrooms, holding his hands in front of himself to hide his aroused state. Whatever was Sasuke playing at, teasing him like that when they were out with their co-workers? Naruto was starting to get worried he had unleashed an inner perv in Sasuke. Sure, Naruto loved it when Sasuke touched him, but he would die of embarrassment if anyone noticed. He had no problem with the others knowing they were a couple, but he did not want them to see him like this, aroused and hard and yearning for Sasuke. Fuck, he wished they were at home so he could jump Sasuke, because he was seriously turned on right now.  
  
He quickly entered the bathrooms, hurried up to the sinks and splashed cold water in his face. He was very glad there was no one else in there at the time, both urinals and boots empty. He really didn’t need _anyone[_ seeing him like this, flushed and horny, his cock straining against his jeans. He was just glad the fabric was thick enough not to make it too obvious, so he hoped he had gotten away with it.  
  
Naruto took the time to calm himself and ensure that his cock was soft again before he stepped out of the bathroom, intending to go back to his table when he saw a familiar smirk directed at him. Sasuke was standing in the hallway outside the bathrooms, hidden in the shadows. The bathrooms were placed in the back corner of the bar, and the hallway made a sharp angle, meaning that absolutely no one could see them here unless they went to use the bathroom or go to the stockroom. It seemed like Sasuke was very aware of this.   
  
He quickly walked over to Naruto, grabbing him by the front of the t-shirt and pushed his back into the wall, pressing his body close to him, mouths fusing together in a hard kiss. Naruto responded eagerly, mouth opening to Sasuke, his tongue coming out to tangle with Sasuke's, his hands wrapping themselves around his lover's back, pushing him close, their crotches rubbing together. The hard on was back with a vengeance within a minute.  
  
Sasuke ripped his mouth away for a moment. "I want you so bad," he moaned, kissing Naruto fiercely again before talking more, "I want to shove you into the bathroom and fuck you up against the wall, filling you with my cum, making you scream loud enough that the bar can hear."  
  
Fuck, Naruto loved it when Sasuke talked dirty to him, all kinds of naughty images flashing before his mind. Normally he wasn’t one to turn down Sasuke, but a part of his mind he didn’t like very much now piped up.  
  
"We can't, Sasuke, all my friends are out there."  
  
Sasuke nipped at his neck, his hips thrusting against him, making his mind black out for a moment. "They won't notice, they are too preoccupied with getting drunk. It won't take long now anyways, I'm too turned on."  
  
"They'll notice if I come back with a limp," Naruto moaned, deciding not to shot back any comment on Sasuke's stamina, because he was having a hard time trying to be funny right now. Instead he threw his head back to allow Sasuke access to his neck, loving the way soft lips felt against skin.  
  
"I don't care about them right now, I want you too much," Sasuke said in between bites and kisses, his hands now moving down Naruto's body to twist at his nipples through the fabric of his shirt. Naruto hissed and arched his body, eyes flying open, his head falling to the side as Sasuke moved his mouth to his shoulder, biting at the flesh there.  
  
It took Naruto a moment before his eyes caught up with what he was seeing. They weren’t alone in the hallway anymore. Kiba was standing there, eyes wide, making it very obvious that he knew exactly what they had been doing.  
  
Naruto pushed Sasuke away, suddenly feeling extremely embarrassed, wanting nothing more than to just vanish. "Uhm," he said, racking his brain for something to say, but finding it completely empty.  
  
Kiba's apparently kick-started quicker. "You and the bastard?" he exclaimed, sounding more than a little shocked.  
  
Naruto felt a blush creep to his cheeks, but then Sasuke's hand closed around his, stroking his palm reassuringly. "Yes, him and the bastard," Sasuke said, seemingly not all that offended by the nickname.  
  
"What the hell, did you drug him, Uchiha?" Kiba asked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.  
  
"I didn't drug him, _mutt_ ," Sasuke shot back, his emotionless façade back on, making him seem like he was very much in charge of the situation.  
  
"Naruto?" Kiba asked, making Naruto have to pull out of the surprise at being caught in the middle of the act.  
  
"Uhm, yeah, no, no drugs. We're… kind of together," he said, smiling awkwardly.  
  
"I have to tell the others, this is fucking huge!" Kiba stated, quickly spinning around and heading back to booth. Naruto's head snapped towards Sasuke, worried how his lover would react to being outed like this. Sasuke seemed utterly unfazed by the situation.  
  
"Let him tell them, saves us the trouble," he said, his shoulder hitching up slightly. "Besides, it gives me time to ravish you." His mouth was back on Naruto's again, searing hot as he kissed him.  
  
Naruto completely forgot all about Kiba for a moment, before his brain started working again, pushing Sasuke away. He might be horny, but he really did not want to go back out there in ten minutes, everyone knowing what they would have been doing with that time.  
  
Closing his hand around Sasuke's he pulled the grumbling raven after him, heading back to his friends.  
  
Eight pairs of eyes stared at them as they came to the table. Seconds ticked past. Kiba had obviously told them, and now they had no idea how to react.  
  
"I AM SO HAPPY FOR YOUR YOUTHFUL COUPLING!" Lee suddenly yelled out, getting the attention from everyone in the bar. "BLOSSOMING YOUNG LOVE IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING IN THE WORLD!"  
  
The kid was actually standing up at this point, tears of apparent joy streaming from his eyes. Everyone was staring at Lee now, completely taken back although they should have been used to his antics by now.  
  
The first to break the silence was Kiba. There was a snort, and then suddenly he was cracking up hard, doubling over, hands clutched to his side and he laughed. It was contagious, and soon Naruto joined in as well, and that broke the awkward tension completely, all of them laughing loudly, the rest of the bar rolling their eyes at the weird group and going back to their own business.  
  
Drying his eyes Naruto slid back into the booth next to Temari who punched his arm, wanting to know how long this had been going on. Naruto cast a glance back at Sasuke, who had slid in after him, the raven showing that he didn’t really care how much Naruto told them. "For some weeks now," he said, not able to stop the smile that rose to his lips.  
  
"Dude! That's who gave you that love bite!" Kiba suddenly exclaimed, having finally put the two together.  
  
Naruto just grinned. It felt good that they all knew, like their relationship was suddenly something real, something worth letting others know about. Everyone he cared about knew now, well, apart from his dad. Maybe it was time to call him soon; he hadn’t talked to him for a couple of weeks, being too busy with work and his budding relationship with Sasuke. He knew Iruka would be happy for him. He had always wanted happiness for Naruto, so he knew he would approve of any relationship that made Naruto this happy. Naruto couldn't wait to tell him all about the latest changes in his life.   
  
Naruto glanced down, saw his and Sasuke's hands, still entwined, the pale against the tan looking so good together. He tightened his fingers slightly around Sasuke, and Sasuke looked at him, his lips pulling into a soft smile, one reserved only for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the guys are officially outed as a couple, and Sasuke took it surprisingly well. I gotta say, I much prefer this Sasuke who takes every opportunity to sex up Naruto, he's way more fun than the previous angsty Sasuke.


	23. Chapter 23

Sasuke flexed his fingers around the steering wheel, trying to shake the annoyance that was gnawing at him. It was his night off from work, and so far his evening had been spent with an old colleague of his father’s and a lawyer. Sasuke had given up the control of his father’s company, the company he’d inherited when Fugaku passed away, but he still owned a part of it, and now he’d been stuck in meetings until two am because they’d insisted he needed to join them to discuss various aspects of the future of the company. Sasuke didn’t care, wanted to sell off every part of the company so he wouldn’t have to deal with this shit, but he knew how important the company had been to his father and didn’t want to give it up completely. He rarely had anything to do with it, but the few times he was called in he realised how much he despised the world of finances. Nothing but scumbags caring about money and nothing else.  
  
Stepping just a little harder on the gas he sped along the freeway, the wipers scraping along the windshield as the steady beat of rain diminished some. He flicked them off altogether. Normally after these meetings he would head straight home, punch a wall and go to bed, but now he had other plans. Naruto would be at home, and they’d planned for Sasuke to go to Naruto’s apartment to _hang_. Which basically translated into Sasuke screwing Naruto all night long. He'd discovered that nothing worked better to remedy a shitty night than a marathon sex session with the boisterous blond thing he guessed was his boyfriend now.  
  
Sasuke shook his head at himself. A boyfriend, an honest to god _boyfriend_. Not just some glorified fuck buddy, but someone he actually cared about and wanted to be around. He was still surprised that he'd actually developed feelings for the man he'd decided to get rid of only a handful of weeks ago. How things had changed since then.  
  
Sasuke peered into the rear-view mirror and saw a car following pretty close to him. He couldn't make out anything but the headlights, so he just hoped it wasn't the cops, because he had not technically kept within the speed limits. Sure, he could always use his agent status to get out of a speeding ticket, but he was in no mood to talk to cops tonight, so he'd rather skip that whole thing altogether.  
  
There was no flash of red and blue though, so appeared to be just another late night driver. Sasuke really couldn't care less.  
  
Ten minutes later he came to the exit that would take him back into the city and to Naruto's apartment, and took it, his mind busy with trying to figure out just exactly he was going to do to Naruto when he got his hands on him. He'd never been a very sexual person before, but being with Naruto was doing all kinds of things with his libido.  
  
A few minutes later and he turned left at an intersection. He noted that the roads were quiet besides for a car that was right behind him, likewise blinking to the left. It looked like some non-descript sedan. Some lowly paid security guard on his way home from the evening shift or something. Although 2 am was a rather odd time of the night to be going home, shift changes mostly places took place at a more reasonable time of the evening, night staff taking over for day staff.  
  
But for all Sasuke knew it could just be some guy on his way home from some illicit affair. He really couldn't care less.  
  
Leaning over Sasuke turned on the stereo. He was obviously bored if he was starting to focus so much on some random person in some car. He had little faith that there would be anything worth listening to on the radio this late, but it was worth a try.  
  
Finally settling on a channel that aired some soft jazz perfect for background music he stretched his neck and eased off the gas as he neared a traffic light. He pulled into the rightmost lane and turned on his blinker.  
  
In twenty more minutes he would pull up to Naruto's apartment building, and then he could finally get some relief from the tension that had built in him all evening. The frustration had settled in his neck, and he knew he should've probably gotten a massage to loosen it up, but sex would just have to do.  
  
A small smirk crept on his lips as pictures of Naruto naked and moaning flashed on his mind. Something about his partner was strangely intoxicating, and he found himself yearning for him when they had been apart for too long. Which mostly constituted anything more than a day. He had no idea what was really between them, wasn’t sure what his feelings really were, didn't know if he could really feel things anymore like a normal human being, but he knew that he wanted Naruto more than he had wanted anyone in a very long time. And it wasn’t just the physical aspect, however good that was, there was the companionship as well, the way he relaxed around Naruto in a way he didn't around anyone else. Naruto was infuriating, but that was half the fun.  
  
Sasuke braked when he saw a street bump ahead, realizing he had been going a bit too fast when the car did a little too big of a dip as he drove over it. Just as he was admonishing himself for not paying attention he was momentarily blinded from a flash of headlights bouncing off his rear-view mirror. He blinked his eyes and looked into it, realizing it came from a car behind him having just gone over the same speed bump.  
  
Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he stared into the mirror.  
  
Was it the same car from before? He hadn't really gotten a good look at it, so he couldn't tell. From what he could see now it was a dark-coloured sedan, but he couldn't quite make out the make of the car.  
  
He shook his head and focused on the road again. Sure it was late at night during the week, but that did not mean that he would be the only one out driving. He was headed for downtown where there were a lot of apartment buildings, so it would make sense for anyone else out driving to make the same route.  
  
He couldn't quite stop the nagging feeling that had dug into his gut though, and he had long since learned that gut instincts often paid to listen to. He didn't want to overreact though, but rather than keep on the road to downtown he went right at the next intersection. Going this way would lead him towards more the more industrial eastern part of the city, where there were mostly businesses that were closed for the night. There was a very little chance anyone would have business in this area tonight.  
  
His suspicions were mostly confirmed when the car still followed him. Sasuke’s lips pulled into a sneer as he glanced into the mirror. He couldn’t see the person behind the wheel, but obviously something was up. Someone seemed to be following him, but why? It wasn’t usual vampire modus operandi, they were more the bite and drain type, although he guessed it was always a possibility he’d killed some vampire and now someone was out to avenge him. Wouldn’t be a vampire, because they didn’t make connections to each other like that, but could be someone who knew the vampire when it was still human and didn’t realise that the person had been dead the moment he or she became a vampire. Some people never quite managed to make the distinction between vampire and the human they had once been.   
  
Sasuke didn’t dwell on that thought too much, finding it was a little too close to home. Instead he debated whether to call Kakashi and ask for back-up, but then he decided to forgo on that. There was only the one car, and although he couldn’t see who was inside he could only make out the silhouette of one person. He had his katana and a gun; he could take on one guy.   
  
He was definitely not going back to Naruto’s until this was resolved though.   
  
Quickly working through the alternatives he went for the quick and easy one. Someone was following him, and doing a piss poor job of it, meaning they either wanted to be found out, or just didn’t care. Sasuke was going to make it really easy for the guy. Looking around he found a fitting place and wrenched his car into an abandoned parking lot outside a storage building with darkened windows, indicating that it was currently empty.   
  
The car followed him into the parking lot, stopping some twenty-odd yards away. Sasuke quickly leaned over to the glove compartment and popped it open only to curse loudly to himself when he realised that his gun was no longer there. Naruto had taken it the night of the attack on the club, and now it was laying back at the apartment. He had no idea how he’d managed to forget to bring it back to the car. Maybe because he’d never used it before, always sticking to his katana when fighting. Either way, he was weapon less. The sword was lying in the back, and he’d have to leave the car to access that.  
  
Lifting his eyes to the mirror he saw that the other car had turned off its headlight, but no one had exited it yet. Quickly he leaned over and pressed a button that would open the lock on the trunk. Now he just needed to get around the car and yank the trunk open and he’d have his weapon. He should have time for that.   
  
The other car had stopped behind him on the driver’s side of the car, so if he stepped out there he’d be an open target. He could almost feel eyes on him as he snuck across the centre console of the car, grabbing onto the door latch of the passenger’s side.  
  
With a last glance behind him he took a deep breath and opened the door. Only his instincts and pure luck ensured that he didn’t end up with a bullet lodged in his frontal lobe as he threw his body into a roll, getting into cover. The person in the other car hadn’t stepped out of the car, he had fired a gun straight through his windshield, and Sasuke could swear the bullet had been close enough to take off a bit of the top of his hair.   
  
_Shit, definitely up to no good_ , he thought as he weighed his options. He’d hoped this would lead to a confrontation rather than a full on gunfight, and he was not prepared for this at all. Unarmed vs gun usually didn’t end well for the idiot who came unarmed.   
  
The slamming of a car door told him exactly when the other stepped out of his car, and Sasuke knew he needed to do something, quick.   
  
“What do you want?” he called out. The other knew where he was, so being covert wouldn’t give him any advantage after all.  
  
“You,” a deep voice stated in a growl. It sounded familiar, but Sasuke couldn’t quite place it.  
  
“I have no idea what I’ve done to have you want to kill me, but I’m not about to just let you,” Sasuke called back. Not so much because he was looking for a conversation, but because he needed to stall the other so he could come up with a plan.   
  
“I don’t want to kill you, I need you alive.”  
  
“The bullet to my head tells me otherwise.”  
  
“If I wanted to hit you you would be dead now,” the other stated in a voice that told Sasuke that the other very much believed that. This was not some ordinary person out to get vengeance; this was someone who felt very much in control of the situation. A hitman maybe? But why the hell would a hitman be after Sasuke?  
  
“I don’t see why I’m this interesting,” Sasuke said as he snuck closer to the back of the car. He was so close to his weapon, but getting it would mean going around to the back of the car, opening the trunk and find the katana. It would definitely take long enough, and make him exposed enough, that the other man would have plenty of time to shoot him. Sasuke was not prone to believing people who stalked and shot at him, so he would be preparing for the other man to be willing to kill him.   
  
“You’re not interesting, just a job.”  
  
“Who do you work for?” Sasuke inquired, already fearing he knew the answer. A part of him had always been waiting for this day, when his past came back to find him.  
  
“Itachi wanted us to bring you back to him, after we found who you cared about the most.”  
  
Fear flooded through Sasuke’s system. There was only one person he cared about, and if these two knew this… The idea of Itachi finally deciding to finish the job he’d started so many years ago was something Sasuke had always been waiting for, so he could deal with that, but the thought that Naruto would be dragged into this because of him, that settled as a cold dread in his gut.  
  
“Hidan should be at Naruto’s apartment now. He’s supposed to bring him in alive, but he was rather angry that Naruto killed him, so I’m not positive he will comply. It’s a damned waste of money, but you are worth more. Although, if you come along we might just make it back in time before Hidan puts down your dog.”  
  
“He’s not a dog,” Sasuke hissed, and before he knew it he was moving from his cover. He knew that giving himself up would be suicide and wouldn't do a damned thing to save Naruto. He needed to stop Kakuzu immediately and get to Naruto. He was running out of time.   
  
Bullets slammed into the side of his car as he yanked open the trunk, grasping for his katana. Sharp pain blossomed in his side as a bullet found its target and graced along his ribs, but Sasuke ignored it as he felt his fingers close around the hilt of his sword. The rain of bullets halted, and Sasuke knew it was now or never as Kakuzu was reloading his gun. He left cover completely and ran, unsheathing his katana. Time slowed down as Kakuzu slid the fresh clip into his gun and Sasuke moved closer, and closer. Just a little bit further and he would end this.   
  
Kakuzu’s gun lifted, but there was nothing Sasuke could do, no cover to get behind, he just needed to be faster, needed to stop this, needed to stop Kakuzu so he could get to Naruto.   
  
He didn’t even hear the sound as the gun went off, just noticed how his body jerked as the bullet dug into his left shoulder, tearing up skin and muscle and tendons. The grip in his left hand failed, but he switched the katana to a one-handed grip and swung it in a sharp arch. Kakuzu had no time to react as the deadly sharp blade carved through the air and straight through his wrist. The gun fell to the ground, hand still attached.   
  
Kakuzu didn’t let the missing hand deter him from his job, and as Sasuke crashed into him, sending them both flying to the ground, he knocked the katana away and punched Sasuke right in the wounded shoulder.   
  
Sasuke couldn’t quite stop the howl of pain that erupted through him, piercing through the veil of adrenaline. He couldn’t allow himself to give in to the pain though, had to fight so he could save Naruto. He drew back his right hand, fisted it and threw it out, aiming at the masked face in front of him. Eerie green on red eyes closed as the fist slammed into the side of his face. It wasn’t enough to stop the other though who instantly sent his knee into Sasuke’s gut.   
  
Air whooshed from his lungs, and Kakuzu used the opportunity to try and get to his feet. Sasuke gasped for breath and pushed all pain away. He was not going to let the other win, was not going to let Naruto die because of him.   
  
Dark eyes narrowed as resolve settled over Sasuke. He needed to stop Kakuzu, and right now it was the only thing that mattered. Pain could be dealt with later.   
  
Hours upon hours of self-defence classes meant hand-to-hand combat came naturally to him, and although his left arm was useless Kakuzu was lacking a hand altogether, so they were about equally matched on body parts. Kakuzu was taller and bulkier than him, but Sasuke was strong and fast.   
  
Hands, feet, foreheads, everything was utilized in the fight to stop the other. Sasuke had the upper hand in that he didn’t care if Kakuzu came out of this alive or not, whereas he soon realised the other was keeping from using any tricks that might lead to Sasuke dead. Sasuke knew why, knew that Kakuzu’s goal was to get him alive so he could sell him off to Itachi, and he was going to use that to his advantage.   
  
Throwing himself into the fight with everything he had, forgoing defence for pure offence he finally managed to tackle the other to the ground. He didn’t hesitate, but sent off a volley of punches to the other’s head. His hand reared back time and time again, his knuckles splitting as it collided with bone. Blood, sticky and warm, soon covered it, and at some point he finally realised that Kakuzu had stopped moving a long time ago. Whether just knocked out or dead Sasuke didn’t know, didn’t care.   
  
The narrowed focus that had consumed him washed away. He needed to get to Naruto, had spent too much time stopping Kakuzu. He prayed he had time. He was pretty sure the only reason he had managed to get away was because he had messed with whatever plan Kakuzu had laid by deciding where the fight took place. He guessed the other had plans to overpower him at some other location of his choosing, someplace where he’d have the upper hand, but Sasuke had noticed him following him, and foiled those plans.   
  
It was luck that the meeting had drawn into the night, because if he’d been done earlier there would be more traffic and he wouldn’t have noticed the other’s car, and would have never realised anyone was following him.   
  
That luck might be the thing that saved Naruto, if only he could get to him in time.   
  
He pushed away from the limp body, staggering towards the car. The side was littered with bullet holes, but he hoped it would still work.   
  
His hand grasped for the handle, but he couldn’t quite get his fingers to cooperate with him. He blinked, trying to clear the grey haze that was falling over his eyes. No! He couldn’t pass out, not now, had to get to Naruto, had to…   
  
His body barely made a sound as it crumpled to the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally finished another chapter, hope you enjoyed some action. :D
> 
> Also, it was my birthday yesterday (officially old as fuck now), and My Thought Bubbles gave me the best gift ever: a SasuNaru oneshot! You should all go read it, it's awesome! :D 
> 
> http://archiveofourown.org/works/3437618


	24. Chapter 24

Naruto's back arched as he stretched, doing his very best cat impression. He'd been lazing on the couch for a few hours, and was good and thoroughly bored. Leaning over the armrest of the couch the world was upside down as he stared at the front door, willing a knock to be heard. Sasuke was supposed to come over as soon as he was free, but he was taking forever.  
  
Blood was rushing to his head from his upside down position, and he was curious to see if he was as red as he felt he was. Pulling his cell phone out of his pocket he opened the camera and switched to the front camera. Oh yes, he looked half way to lobster-red by now.  
  
Giggling to himself he took a picture, sticking his tongue out at the camera, remembering how he always used to do that whenever his dad tried to take a picture of him. He had no idea how many pictures of Naruto making funny faces his dad had back home. Naruto had never been fond of just smiling prettily for the camera. Too boring.  
  
Snickering Naruto went to his Snapchat, taking another picture. He was pretty sure Iruka wouldn't mind a couple more to add to his collection. He scrunched his face up and snapped a couple of pictures until he was pleased with the outcome. He was about to just send it off, but tapped the screen, wanting to write something funny. He and his adopted dad had always been close, but they hadn't talked much lately, mostly because Naruto worked a lot of nights, and Iruka worked a lot of days. Not to forget that Naruto had spent a lot of his spare time together with Sasuke, and now he was feeling a little guilty.  
  
He suddenly realised that he hadn't even told his dad about Sasuke yet, and wasn't that just messed up? He was so used to Iruka realising all of these things by himself, as he had an uncanny ability to know all kinds of stuff about Naruto, like when he had stolen chocolate from the kitchen cabinet, or when he'd stuffed all his clothes under the bed rather than tidied up properly, but now that they lived so far away there were no way for Iruka to pick up on these things by himself anymore.  
  
 _By the way, I'm in love <3_, he typed across the picture and sent it off. It was night time, so Iruka would have gone to bed, but Naruto figured it would be a fun surprise for him to wake up to tomorrow.  
  
Less than a minute later his phone rang. He looked down at the screen, surprised to see the word _DADSTER_ with a picture of his dad light up. His father was still up? Sure, it was Friday and everything, but shouldn't he be in bed by now, it was like two am or something after all.  
  
Sliding his thumb across the screen he lifted the phone to his ear, sliding down in the couch so his head was the right way again.  
  
"Dad, hi!" he greeted.  
  
"Naruto, what have you not been telling me?"   
  
Okay, straight down to business it was. Naruto grinned sheepishly.  
  
"That I'm in love?"  
  
"With whom?" Even across the phone Naruto could almost hear the smile on Iruka's face.  
  
"Uhm, Sasuke?" Naruto squirmed a bit. It being a man wouldn't bother his dad at all, he was more worried what Iruka would think about him hooking up with his partner. Was it like super unprofessional of him?  
  
"Sasuke, is that your partner?"  
  
"Yeah, he is."  
  
"And Sasuke… knows about this?" Iruka asked awkwardly, as if he wasn't quite sure of what the answer would be and whether asking was a bad idea.  
  
Naruto chuckled. "Yeah, he knows. We're… kind of a couple. Been for some weeks now."  
  
"I'm confused, I thought you hated him? I'm pretty sure you did the last time you mentioned him."  
  
"Well, yeah, uhm, stuff happened." There was a small pause on the other side, as if his dad was processing the knew knowledge.  
  
"Are you happy?" Iruka inquired a moment later. Give it to Iruka to accept anything as long as it made Naruto happy.  
  
"Yeah, I really am. He's still a bit of a bastard at time, but I kind of like it you know?"  
  
"You always did like a challenge. I'm really happy for you you know? I'm a bit annoyed you waited this long to tell me though, I feel out of the loop. You have to keep your old man updated on your life, since I don't have any of my own."  
  
Naruto snorted. "Old man eh, you're still in your thirties, I wouldn't say old just yet. Besides, it's not my fault you don't have a life of your own, you should date someone. Can't use me as an excuse anymore!"  
  
Iruka snorted. "Where would I meet anyone? Besides, I have no time to date."  
  
"Don't tell me that that's why you are still awake, you're not still grading papers are you?"  
  
Naruto could vividly remember the stacks of papers that Iruka was always working on. He took on too many classes, and had to spend most evenings trying to get through the rest of work. He always ensured to spend time with Naruto, but never left any for himself. Naruto hadn't realised it at the time, but Iruka was basically giving up his life for him, and only now could Naruto truly appreciate how lucky he had been to have someone like Iruka take him in.  
  
"You should find a new job, one that pays better without you having to take on so many extra classes."  
  
"There are no other jobs around here, I'm lucky to have one at all."  
  
"Then move! There's no reason to live in that stupid town anyways. I know that you stayed because it was my hometown and where my parents were buried, that you didn't want to uproot me, but I did that by myself."  
  
"I didn't think you knew that's one of the reasons we never moved." Iruka sounded mildly surprised. Naruto wasn't sure he should be offended that everyone reacted that way whenever he said something smart.  
  
"I'm not stupid you know!"  
  
"I'm not sure your algebra teacher would agree."  
  
"Hey!" Naruto sputtered indignantly.  
  
The next minutes passed with banter and catching up. Sometimes Iruka was more like a big brother or a best friend than a dad, and Naruto loved it. He could talk to Iruka about everything, and they could joke around. He missed him, and was thinking that he should be sneaky and look for jobs in the city that would be good for him, and then he could convince him to move close. There really were no reason for Iruka to stay anymore, and by now he probably just did because he felt he owed it to the principal or something stupid like that.  
  
A hard knock on the front door interrupted them mid-reminiscing. "Oh! That's probably Sasuke! I want you to say hello," Naruto said, rolling off the couch, falling onto his ass with a painful thump.  
  
"Did you just fall off the couch?" Iruka asked.  
  
"No?"  
  
The laugh on the other side told Naruto just how much Iruka believed that statement. Naruto ignored it in favour of giving his bruised ass a rub as he headed towards the door.  
  
"Bastard, about damned-" His greeting was cut off by a fist to the face, smashing hard into his cheekbone. His hands instinctively moved up to protect his face from further harm, cell phone flying into the wall with the sudden movement. He jumped backwards, trying to assess the situation and clear his ringing head. He saw his door being slammed shut, and then a glimpse of a man with silver hair and blazing violet eyes, before another fist flew towards him and he had to dodge the punch.  
  
Naruto was confused. This was… not Sasuke. Obviously. It wouldn't be above Sasuke to punch him, but unless he'd died his hair, stuffed in some contact lenses and bulked up since earlier this morning, then nope, this was in no way Sasuke.  
  
There was something familiar with the other man though, but it was hard to get a good look when all he saw were fists flying at his head. Besides, his head was still ringing from that first punch.  
  
Seeing an opening Naruto sent off a fist of his own, connecting hard with the other man's abdomen. The respite as the other man lost his breath was enough that Naruto could swing himself on the other side of his dining table, putting some space between them so he could assess the situation.  
  
"What do you want?" he yelled out across the room when he realised the other didn't immediately attack him.  
  
The other man straightened his back and dragged a hand over his hair as if to make sure it was still perfectly slicked back. There was enough gel in it that it would take a hurricane to dislodge even a single hair so Naruto didn't see why the other bothered. Then a cocky grin spread on the other's lips.  
  
Realisation suddenly flooded through Naruto, and it was not a good feeling.  
  
"Hidan," he muttered. There was no mistaking just who had tried to bash his face in. Naruto remembered meeting the other in Las Vegas, remembered fighting, remembered tearing the other's throat out. How the hell was the guy still walking around? No way would he have survived that night. Naruto still vividly remembered the coppery taste of blood in his mouth and the feeling of flesh being torn apart by his fangs.  
  
His eyes dropped towards Hidan's neck as if he expected the wounds to still be there, white bits of spine glinting in a mass of red.  
  
Hidan seemed to realise, and his hands lifted to the zipper that ran down the front of his collared black jacket. He grabbed the tab and slowly pulled down, revealing pale flesh all the way to his belly button. Naruto didn't care about the chest now on display; he was looking at Hidan's throat. The pale column of flesh was ridged by thick scars, a crisscross of dark red and pale pink. Black stitches contrasted sharply against the mutilated flesh.  
  
"How the fuck did you even survive that?" Naruto said in disbelief. This was way worse than his throat had been when the vampire tried to take a chunk out of him, and he'd barely pulled through even with his accelerated healing.  
  
"I didn't, you fucking asshole," Hidan spat out, still grinning.  
  
Naruto just stared, not having a clue what the hell Hidan was talking about. He was pretty sure the other was standing there right in front of him, very much alive. And his eyes were still violet and his fangs straight, so obviously not a vampire. He could talk so not a zombie. And judging by his stinging cheek where Hidan had punched him definitely not a ghost. And after that Naruto kind of ran out of supernatural beings that could go on being a bastard after death.  
  
"Oi asshole, I get that you are pissed and all, but you were the one that started it!" Naruto shouted across the room. He was kind of hoping raised voices would mean someone would call 911, because he'd appreciate some back up. Going up with just his fists against something he didn't even know what was wasn't all that appealing. His gun was back in his bedroom, and there was a good chance Hidan would get to him before he'd get that far.  
  
He really should learn to check the peephole before opening the door.  
  
"Do you even have any fucking idea how much it hurts to die?" Hidan's voice was an angry growl.  
  
"Nope. Can't have been too bad since you are still walking around," Naruto shot back. He figured stalling would be a good idea. Sasuke was supposed to come over at some point, so he just needed to keep the other at an arm's length until his partner/boyfriend came. Naruto had found that decapitation usually was a good way to stop any supernatural beings that wouldn't die the conventional ways, and Sasuke's katana was always handy when it came to decapitations.  
  
Hidan's grin turned into a sneer. "You little shit. I'm going to have a blast tearing your body to fucking pieces. I'm going to fucking bathe in your blood."  
  
"And you'll probably be apprehended while doing it. The walls are thin, the neighbours will have called 911 by now," Naruto said, trying to act completely sure of himself. To be honest, this wasn't the nicest part of town, and yelling was pretty normal in the building.  
  
"Which is why I'm going to bring your sorry ass home where I can have some peace and fucking quiet while I kill you."  
  
"Sorry to disappoint, but I don't go home with strangers." Naruto was trying to remember if he'd conveniently left a kitchen knife stashed somewhere close, but he'd tidied up the apartment not too long ago, and the closest thing to a weapon he could find was a stack of newspapers. Somehow he didn't think paper cuts was going to… well… cut it.  
  
Naruto only had one choice. He needed to get to the bedroom and his gun. A few well-placed bullets to Hidan's skull should slow him down long enough for Naruto to find a way to detain him, since killing him obviously didn't work.  
  
He cast a quick glance towards the bedroom door, trying to see if there were any obstacles in his way. The quickest route would be across the back of the couch, but he could do that easily. The door wasn't even closed, so he just needed to shove it open and get to the dresser. The gun was lying there, loaded, because he wanted to be prepared more than he wanted to be safe. So he would just have to flick the safety, and then he'd be good to go.  
  
Hidan and he were about equal lengths from the door, but he'd get the head start, and it might just be enough…  
  
Not overthinking it Naruto leapt into action, taking the steps towards the couch and leaping over the top, narrowly avoiding landing on the coffee table.  
  
He sprinted towards the door, his fingers reaching for it. His fingers grazed the wood in the exact moment he felt a heavy weight slam into his back, tackling him to the floor.  
  
Stars burst in front of his eyes as his forehead slammed into the floor, but he didn't allow himself to take even a second to catch his bearings, he just drew back his elbow, slamming into whatever part of Hidan he could reach before using the moment's break to push the other off his back and scramble away. He needed his gun, needed it now.  
  
Halfway to his feet he felt fingers lock around his ankle, and a hard yank sent him to the floor again. Naruto kicked out, aiming for the grinning face right behind him, but Hidan twisted away.  
  
"You little shit!" Hidan yelled. Naruto ignored it, focusing on the task at hand rather than the swearing man. If he could just get his gun he could stop the other and call Sasuke and-  
  
Sasuke. Where was he? Shouldn't he have come by now? Naruto had no idea what time it was, but he was sure it was late enough that he should be here by now.  
  
There was no time to worry about Sasuke for long, because fingers suddenly dug into his neck, and he felt his head get lifted and then slammed into the floor. Blood gushed from his nose, and he was pretty sure it was broken with the pain that shot through it. He kicked out, and this time his foot connected with Hidan's gut, throwing the other man backwards. Naruto was quick to get to his feet, and deciding that he was obviously not getting to the bedroom anytime soon he drew his foot back and sent it flying, feeling something give when it connected with Hidan's ribs.  
  
He drew it back again, but Hidan was seemingly not about to just take the kicks lying down. His hand dipped into his jacket, and emerged with a knife. Of course he'd bring a knife, Naruto should have remembered.  
  
Not wanting his Achilles tendons cut through he leapt backwards, creating some space between them. He cursed when he realised that they had gotten twisted around enough that Hidan was now standing between him and the bedroom. He had to get to the kitchen, find a knife, even the odds.  
  
Lifting his hands in front of himself to protect his body he slowly inched backwards. Hands would be awful against a knife, but better his arms got cut up than his chest. It was a matter of prioritizing.  
  
"Why won't you give up, you sonofabitch! I'm going to fucking kill you anyways!" Hidan yelled. He was hunched over slightly, and the red marks that would soon bleed into deep purple that showed on his ribs told Naruto exactly why. He'd gotten some good kicks in, cracked a few ribs, and now Hidan was feeling the pain. Which meant that although he apparently was hard to kill he was vulnerable to pain. Good. Naruto could bring pain.  
  
Feeling the edge of the kitchen counter behind him he tried to look like he wasn't up to anything at all. His eyes were locked on the other, waiting to see any hints of Hidan making to attack him.  
  
Naruto spun into action the moment Hidan twitched towards him. He spun around the kitchen counter, leapt towards the knife block and grabbed the biggest handle, pulling it out and lifting it to protect himself.  
  
He cursed when he saw the serrated edge and rounded tip of his bread knife. _Fuuuuck._  
  
Hidan laughed.  
  
 _Oh well, knife is knife,_ Naruto thought to himself, and didn't hesitate as he rounded the counter and aimed the blade at Hidan's chest. It might need some more force behind it to do damage, but Naruto had more than enough force to plunge it through Hidan's ribcage. .  
  
He saw the widening of Hidan's eyes as the knife came towards him, obviously not anticipating that Naruto would choose to attack with the blade rather than find a better knife, but he quickly brought up his own blade, fending off the attack. Naruto attacked again. He didn't like being on the defensive, wanted to take charge of the situation, not wait for Hidan to have the upper hand again.  
  
The fight was short but intense. Blades flying at each other, legs kicking out. Naruto got sliced a couple of times, but only glancing blows that didn't even slow him down. He got a good swipe at Hidan's arm, the serrated edge digging into the soft flesh, opening a ragged line through the muscle. It didn't slow him down much either.  
  
Hidan was a good fighter, and they were pretty evenly matched, so Naruto knew he'd have to do something soon to get out of this without a knife through his gut.  
  
His head snapped back as Hidan's knife arched in front of his face, and too late he realised that he'd been backed towards his coffee table. One more swipe towards his face had him reel back. The table meant there was no more room to go on though, and he felt his body topple backwards.  
  
Hidan didn't hesitate for a moment. He grabbed Naruto's falling body by the front of his sweater and tossed him to the floor, face first. Naruto made to get up but Hidan leapt on top of his back, making sure his arms were pinned to his body. Naruto's eyes widened when Hidan's knife were plunged into the floor right next to his face. He could see his own eyes reflected off the shiny blade.  
  
Why hadn't Hidan used the opportunity to off him? This could not be good. He remembered Hidan saying that he wanted to take his time killing him, but he figured the fight would have tested that knowledge to the point of snapping.  
  
He started squirming. He knew allowing Hidan the upper hand for long would be fatal.  
  
"Sit still, you shit," Hidan hissed. Naruto had no idea what was happening, why the other wasn't doing anything, but then he felt a sharp pain in his thigh.  
  
He twisted enough to glance down his body and saw a syringe sticking from his upper arm. This was… not good. Particularly since the syringe was empty now, and most likely hadn't been a moment before.  
  
"What the hell did you do?!" he hissed as he started bucking, trying to throw Hidan off of him.  
  
"That's a tranquilizer. It should knock your sorry ass out in a moment, and then I can get the hell outta here. We're gonna have so much fun later on, bitch."  
  
"Sasuke will find you and kill you all over again," Naruto said, panicking slightly when he noticed that the world was growing blurry on the edges of his vision.  
  
Hidan laughed again, and that was not a good sound.  
  
"Your little fuck toy won't save you this time. Kakuzu will have him by now, and then we are going to sell him to his brother, and Kakuzu will finally have enough money to shut the fuck up for a while."  
  
Naruto panicked for real this time. He had forgotten about Hidan's partner. Had been too focused on his own sorry ass, and now Sasuke was in trouble and Naruto wouldn't be able to help him.  
  
"You know, Itachi wanted us to bring in whoever little fucktwat Sasuke cared the most about, but when we realised that you were the only one he seemed not to fucking hate I convinced Kakuzu to let me deal with you. You see, I don't care about money like he does. I'm in this for the bloodshed. I want to see you bleed for daring to fucking kill me.  
  
"Itachi wanted to use you to break Sasuke, wanted to kill you right in front of his fucking eyes, but I guess me telling your fuck toy all about how you screamed when I tore your body apart will have to do,"  
  
Naruto had stopped fighting by now. Hidan was a heavy weight on his back, and he didn't have any strength left in his body. He wanted to do something, but his head was sluggish, and it felt like he was sinking into a fog, unable to do anything to keep awake.  
  
"Then I'll fucking watch as Sasuke breaks," Hidan said, and the laugh that followed made Naruto snap out of his daze. The grey that had tinted the world bled to red, and his nails dug grooves into the flooring as his nails elongated into sharp claws. He would not let them hurt Sasuke, would not let this happen. He needed to stop Hidan so he could get to Sasuke, needed to tear Hidan apart for daring to threaten Sasuke's life. He'd tasted Hidan's blood once, he'd taste it again, and this time he would not stop until there was nothing left of the other man.  
  
Naruto growled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know. Evil author leaves evil cliffhangers. I just... couldn't help myself. :3


	25. Chapter 25

Kiba’s boots pounded loudly against the stairs as he ran up the floors towards Naruto’s apartment with Kankuro hot on his tail. They’d been patrolling downtown when the call had come in from Kakashi to get to Naruto’s apartment ASAP. They’d wasted no time in getting to the car, and driving like bats clean outta hell to get there. Apart from the fact that something had obviously happened they had no idea what they would find, but if something had given Naruto trouble it wasn't likely to be some common burglar.  
  
Apparently all Kakashi knew was that Naruto had been talking to Iruka on the phone, gone to open the door, and then there’d been a sound like someone getting punched before the call had been disrupted. When Iruka had tried to call back it had gone straight to voicemail, and he’d called Kakashi in a panic. Something had happened, and now Kiba and Kank were going to fix it. They had no idea what they’d find, vampires, ghouls or Naruto sheepishly trying to fix a phone he’d dropped on the floor, but they had their guns drawn, loaded with the expanding silver bullets that would take down most of what they’d meet on the other side of the door.  
  
A quick glance at Kank and a nod to show that he was going in and Kiba slammed open the door, peering down the length of his gun, taking in the room in front of him. It was hard to miss Naruto. He was lying on the floor, curled up awkwardly, eyes shut, face smeared with dark blood. Next to him laid a body. Neither was moving.  
  
Kiba stepped closer to see if he could identify whoever Naruto had fought with, but it proved rather difficult.  
  
“Kank, check the perimeter!” he called out and rushed to Naruto’s side. Whoever the body belonged to wasn’t going to get up anytime soon, so unless there was anyone else around checking on Naruto was his top priority.  
  
He kneeled next to Naruto’s prone form, hand moving to his neck to check for a pulse. A strong, albeit slightly erratic, beat thrummed against the pads of his fingers, and he let out a relieved sigh as he quickly moved to assess for any wounds that would be potentially fatal.  
  
Naruto’s nose was crooked, obviously broken at some point, and he was sporting an impressive shiner, but other than that he looked to be in good shape, just not conscious. Various cuts and bruises littered what Kiba could see of his body, but none of them seemed severe. The other man was… decidedly worse off.  
  
He was checking the dead body for some kind of ID when he saw the empty syringe lying on the floor. He cursed when he realised that this might very well be the reason Naruto was unconscious. The other could have shot him up with anything, and Kiba had no idea if it was a simple sedative or something more ominous. He quickly dialled Kakashi’s number.  
  
“Naruto is alive but unconscious. It appears he’s been injected with something, the assailant is dead.”  
  
“Any idea who or what it was?” Kakashi asked.  
  
Kiba glanced up when Kankuro stepped around the couch, holding something up for him to see. Kiba grimaced.  
  
“Well, Kank found his head, but I still can’t say I have any idea of who or what.”  
  
“Found his head?”  
  
“It looks like Naruto might have… removed it at some point.”  
  
There was nothing but silence on the other end for a moment.  
  
“Just send someone to check up on him okay, he seems stable, but I have no idea beyond that,” Kiba said. He slid his gun back in its holster and sat down next to Naruto, looking around the living room and kitchen. It was surprisingly tidy for a place that had just seen a fight, but that might be because there weren’t a whole lot of furniture there. The coffee table was broken, and the couch had a fair few blood spatters on it, but otherwise looked whole. The floor was drenched in blood though, and Kiba noted the deep claw marks marring the wood, showing just how Naruto had managed to kill the other so… thoroughly.  
  
Obviously he had shifted at some point. The claw marks decorated the dead body just as much as it did the floor, and the ragged mess that had at some point been a neck showed that Naruto certainly hadn’t used a blade to separate head and body, it looked to have been torn right off. Kiba scrunched his nose. The coppery scent of blood was thick in the air. The apartment would need some thorough cleaning before it was habitable again.  
  
“Dude, what did you get mixed up in?” Kiba said to himself as he glanced over at Naruto, worried for his friend.  
  


***

  
The first words through Sasuke’s mind when the darkness finally slipped away was _Naruto._ Panic instantly flared through him, and he struggled against the heavy fog that still had him in its clutches. He needed to get to Naruto, needed to save him, needed to stop Hidan before it was too late. He couldn’t lose Naruto, he just--  
  
“Hey, take it easy, Sasuke,” he heard someone say and his body stilled when he instantly recognised that voice. He opened his eyes only to shut them again when the glare of light hurt his eyes.  
  
“Nar…” he started saying, but his tongue felt all papery, and wouldn’t quite cooperate with him.  
  
“I’m right here, Sasuke,” Naruto said, and soon Sasuke felt a warm palm close around his hand, squeezing it slightly.  
  
“You are at the hospital. Everything is okay now.”  
  
Sasuke felt a rush of relief flood through him, and he allowed himself to relax, only now realising that he was resting on a soft mattress rather than the rough concrete he had passed out on.  
  
“Wha…” he started saying, but he couldn’t quite do it. He still felt like he was only half awake, like the fog that had gripped him still tried to keep him in its clutches.  
  
He cracked an eyelid open slightly to filter out the harsh light and twisted his head to the side, seeing Naruto sitting by his side.  
  
“Oh, here!” Naruto said, and let go of his hand. Sasuke didn’t say anything, but he missed the touch the moment it was gone. He’d been so afraid of losing Naruto, and now he was right here, safe and sound. He let out a shaky breath.  
  
Naruto returned moments later, thrusting something at Sasuke’s face. It took his muddled brain a moment to realise that it was a glass of water with a drinking straw in it. He gratefully lifted his head enough to sip at it.  
  
It took five more minutes until he felt hydrated and clear-headed enough to actually do some proper talking, and ten more minutes until he was caught up on the situation. He had no recollections of anything since the point where he had passed out after the fight with Kakuzu, but Naruto had been updated by Kakashi.  
  
Apparently Naruto’s dad had been on the phone with Naruto when Hidan had attacked, and upon realising what was happening called Kakashi in a panic. Kakashi had instantly dispatched Kiba and Kankuro to take care of the situation, and when he couldn’t get to Sasuke he had tracked his cell phone and sent Neji and Shikamaru to find him.  
  
Sasuke had been lying in a pool of blood next to his car, with Kakuzu in an equal pool not too far off. Neither had been dead, but neither was that far off if it hadn’t been for Naruto’s dad calling in he would’ve likely bled to death in a dirty parking lot before anyone knew where he was. Sasuke had been rushed to the hospital, needing blood transfusions to replenish what was now left on the concrete. He’d been patched up and drugged up, and was only now coming back out of the heavy sleep he’d been in since. It was a full two days since the fight and Sasuke felt like utter shit. He was on strong painkillers, but he still felt groggy and stiff, and he still ached whenever he moved his shoulder. He was glad to find that it still worked though, shoulder wounds could be nasty, and he just hoped he’d be able to use the arm properly once it healed.  
  
“What happened to you?” he asked, more interested in Naruto than himself. His boyfriend looked pretty good apart from a yellowing bruise on his cheekbone and a bandage across his nose.  
  
“Well, Hidan got me by surprise, but I showed him that you don’t mess with Naruto Uzumaki. I went all ninja on his ass.”  
  
“So you used your nose to fight with then?” Sasuke said. It came from out of nowhere. He had no intention of saying anything resembling an insult slash joke, but it came out of nowhere. Too much time spent pretending to despise the other guy most likely, old habits being hard to kill. Naruto wasn’t too offended though, judging by the sudden laugh that peeled from him  
  
“Bastard broke my nose. And because I heal fast it had healed in the most awkward crooked position ever, so the doctor needed to break it all over again. It sucked.”  
  
“I’m… Sorry I couldn’t help you,” Sasuke said quietly. Naruto’s blue eyes met his dark, wide in surprise.  
  
“Are you seriously apologizing for getting your ass beat up right now?” he asked incredulously. Sasuke just ignored it.  
  
“It’s all my fault.”  
  
And it really was. If it wasn’t for him Hidan would have never gone after Naruto at all. The only reason they’d been confronted by the duo back in Las Vegas was because of Sasuke and his brother-turned-demon. If it wasn’t for him Naruto would’ve been safe, wouldn’t have had to fight for his life at all.  
  
Sasuke could not accept the fact that Naruto was in danger because of him. Sure, Hidan and Kakuzu were dealt with, but Itachi was out there, and he could easily send someone else after him. He didn't want to kill Sasuke; he wanted to break him, and what better way than through the only person he truly cared about? It was what his plan had been, and Sasuke had no reason to think that it had changed. And right now there was only one weakness in Sasuke’s shields.  
  
At some point Naruto had burrowed straight into his heart and set up camp there in a way no one had ever done before. He had blasted through all of Sasuke’s defences, and Sasuke still had no idea just how that had happened. Through sheer stubbornness most likely.  
  
He looked over at his boyfriend. Naruto was wearing one of those god awful hoodies he tended to favour whenever they weren’t working, and his jeans were baggy and littered with holes. His hair was a mess, as per usual. Naruto was… chaotic, whereas Sasuke himself had always prided himself on being completely in control. Sasuke always looked impeccable, always kept his feelings in check, keeping up an icy-cold facade that scared most people away. Naruto wore his feelings on his sleeve, and he latched onto people instantaneously, even if he had been kicked away for most of his life. Naruto had managed to keep innocence about him, and a faith in people that Sasuke couldn't fathom. Maybe it was this faith that had made Naruto able to get through to Sasuke though. He seemed to have this undying belief that Sasuke was actually a decent guy underneath the crap Sasuke threw at him, and he had slowly, but surely, chipped away at the shields until he found the raw core of the man underneath, bringing out something in Sasuke that Sasuke himself hadn't even known where there. Naruto was good, through and through, and Sasuke didn’t deserve him in a million years. He could not allow Itachi to kill Naruto just to hurt Sasuke, he would not allow it. Not when Naruto had finally managed to drag him, kicking and screaming, out of the darkness he had shrouded himself in.  
  
There was only one thing Sasuke could do. He needed to get the hell out of this hospital and stop this. Needed to find the demon that called himself his brother and needed to kill him. It was time to face his demons head on.  
  


***

  
Sasuke was still groggy from being pumped full of painkillers, so Naruto was sitting alone at the kitchen table, poking at a grilled cheese sandwich. He knew he should eat something, but his appetite was long gone. He’d gotten one good bite in before it turned to ashes in his mouth. Ketchup dripped to the plate in a thick, red blob, and that was it, instant flashback. It was just under a week since he’d fought Hidan, and he’d worked his damnedest to just forget about it, but it never was far from his mind.  
  
Naruto had killed before, but there was something very different in killing vampires than it had been killing Hidan. Not just because the vampires disintegrated into neat piles of ashes where Hidan very much didn’t, but because of _how_ it all happened.  
  
When Naruto hunted vampires he was very much in control. He decided when to pull the trigger or throw the knife, but when Hidan had attacked and pushed him over the edge he had lost all control. The beast had come roaring out of the cavern he tried to contain it in and took control of him.  
  
The memories of the fight were blurry at best, fractured pictures of blood and flesh and claws and fangs. He knew Hidan had gotten some good hits in, but they hadn’t even slowed him down, just showed up as rapidly healing bruises later on. Hidan hadn’t stood a chance when the beast decided that it wanted the taste of flesh. Naruto still remembered the feeling of claws tearing through flesh, and the sickening sound Hidan’s neck made as Naruto dug his fangs into his throat and pulled, the beast finishing what it had started some months earlier.  
  
He knew it had been kill or be killed, and knew Hidan wouldn’t have hesitated for a moment to off him, but it was the way he had killed that bothered him. He’d been fighting hard to keep the beast within under control for years, but it seemed to become harder and harder, and he was afraid of what would happen if he stopped fighting, was afraid the beast would take him over completely. He knew that shifters were supposed to live in symbioses with the beast, that they were one, the person always in charge, but it didn’t feel that way to Naruto, He had always seen his beast as another being, living inside him, wanting to be free.  
  
With a shudder he pushed the plate away, deciding that what was done was done, and he needed to get over it. Just not right now. Right now he needed to take care of Sasuke.  
  
As if on cue the door bell rang, and he abandoned his lunch to let in the nurse he’d been expecting over. Sasuke had been allowed to come back home as long as Naruto was there to take care of him, and they allowed a nurse Kakashi had arranged with to come over and tend to Sasuke’s wound, making sure it healed well and didn’t get infected. Sasuke had predictably bitched about it, but Naruto and Kakashi had ignored him. They both had practice doing just that.  
  
A few minutes later Naruto found himself standing by the couch, chewing on his thumb nail as the nurse gently peeled back the bandaged fastened over Sasuke’s shoulder.  
  
“This looks good; you’ll be good in no time. It was a clean wound, through and through, and it shouldn’t affect your use of your arm too much as soon as it’s healed,” she said as she poked at the wound.  
  
Naruto cast a glance over and immediately regretted it. It did not look good. There was a dime sized patch of puckered skin stitched together, the skin slightly red around it. Dried blood still clung to the skin in-between the stitches. Naruto hated this. Sasuke didn’t have the healing he had, it would take him a while to heal, and it was a constant reminder to how close Naruto had been to losing him. He was never letting the other out of his sight again. Stupid bastard getting shot.  
  
“You need to take these antibiotics to ensure it doesn’t get inflamed, but other than that just make sure to change the bandages and keep it clean and dry. Don’t use the arm until I give you the clear, I don’t want you putting any strain on the stitching.”  
  
The brown-haired nurse, Rin if Naruto remembered correctly, placed a bottle of pills on the nightstand. “Instructions are on the bottle. Follow them.”  
  
All through the proceedings Sasuke didn’t as much as wince, even as she prodded at the wound. His face was set in a perpetual frown, and Naruto didn’t like it one bit.  
  
“Kakashi told me that you would take care of him,” Rin said to Naruto as she packed away her supplies. “Plenty of bed rest, and make sure he takes his medication. If he’s in pain give him pain killers, being in pain will not make him better any faster.”  
  
It was clear the dark-haired nurse had been working with stubborn agents long enough to know that acting tough kind of came with the occupation. Naruto would make sure Sasuke wasn’t one of them though; he was going to stuff pills down his throat the moment he looked to be in pain.  
  
Soon there was only the two of them left, and Naruto was officially on nurse duty. He should really get a new outfit.  
  
It took Sasuke all but two minutes to start complaining. All Naruto had done was asking if he needed more pillows, or something to drink or to eat, or help to get to the toilet or...  
  
“Will you just shut up,” he called out. Naruto stopped what he was doing, and pulled his head out of the fridge. He’d been rummaging through it in search of food before Sasuke had even had time to answer if he was actually hungry. “It’s bad enough that I’m stuck here; don’t treat me like an invalid.”  
  
Naruto ran a hand through his hair, feeling a bit embarrassed. He needed something to do, to stop himself from worrying, but apparently he had taken his nurse duties a bit too far. Closing the fridge he walked over to Sasuke and kneeled on the floor in front of the couch Sasuke was propped up on. “I’m sorry, I’m just worried, you know?”  
  
“I’m fine. Not the first time I’ve gotten hurt.”  
  
“Getting punched is not the same as getting shot,” Naruto stated.  
  
Sasuke sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. It looked like he was about to say something, but he didn't, apparently having deemed it unworthy of passing his lips. Naruto was a bit amazed at how Sasuke did stuff like actually think before he talked. Naruto had never learned that ability, landing him in trouble more times than not when he said something he really shouldn't have.  
  
Sasuke looked like he was retreating in on himself, his shields slamming into place one by one, an air of indifference surrounding him, even if Naruto knew he had to be brimming with emotions right now. He could read Sasuke well enough by now. He needed to relieve the tension, knock those shields down before they got time to fully form again.  
  
“Hey, I have an idea,” he said.  
  
Sasuke tilted his head to the side, looking like he was preparing to shoot down the idea before Naruto even told him.  
  
With a flick to Sasuke’s nose he stopped him before the raven could say anything. “Shut up. It’s a great idea. I was thinking… you smell like shit right now.”  
  
One thin eyebrow shot up, Sasuke seemingly not seeing why telling him he reeked was a great idea. Naruto rolled his eyes and continued.  
  
“You haven’t showered since you got home from the hospital two days ago, and your hair is a mess. You are a dude, and I’m sorry if this is going to offend your highness Uchiha, but dudes smell.” Okay, so maybe Naruto was elaborating. Sure, Sasuke smelled, but mostly just a vague hint of sweat, hardly anything to be bothered by, but he had a plan in mind, and that plan entailed a dirty Sasuke, so Sasuke would just have to go with it.  
  
“And you can’t take a shower because of your shoulder, and since I’m technically your nurse right now it might only be right if I gave you a sponge bath?”  
  
By the look on Sasuke’s face that was not the idea he had been expecting. Naruto grinned like the fox he was and leaned closer, lowering his voice to a husky whisper, knowing just how to distract Sasuke.  
  
“I’d have to remove all your clothing though, and run my hands all over you, making sure to wash every little inch of that flawless skin. “ Naruto’s grin widened as he saw a sudden flash of lust cross Sasuke’s face. Yeah, this would do the trick just fine.  
  
Before Sasuke got the opportunity to say anything to shot down his idea Naruto leaped away, hurrying into Sasuke’s bathroom to fetch supplies. They had taken up camp here since his apartment was kind of a crime scene right now, and he’d gotten familiar with the place because Sasuke slept a lot and there were only so many soaps Naruto could see in a day before he shot himself.  
  
With a bucket of soapy water, fresh towels and washcloth in hand he walked back into the living room, trying not to trip. Sasuke was lying in the same position he had been when Naruto left, propped up on the long couch, wearing nothing but low-slung sweat pants. Naruto couldn’t quite help the way his eyes dropped to trail all over that exposed skin, from the dip of his collarbone, across rosy nipples and all down to where a faint trail of hair vanished beneath the waistband of his sweats. Sasuke laid there quietly, his dark eyes following Naruto’s moves as he stepped closer and placed a knee on the edge of the couch. He dipped the washcloth into the bucket and wrung out the excess water before he leaned over Sasuke, running the cloth across his chest. He heard Sasuke’s breath hitch, and knew his lover would start to lose the control he was working so hard to maintain any minute now.  
  
As Naruto brushed the cloth against rosy nipples he gently twisted the fabric between his fingers, and a sudden moan from Sasuke told him that he was definitely getting to him now. He leaned in and ran his tongue over the same nipple, and felt Sasuke start twitching underneath him.  
  
“You gotta make sure not to move, bastard, I don’t want you messing up your stitches,” he said with a smirk against pale skin, hearing a predictable _hn_ in answer.  
  
Naruto just ran his tongue down Sasuke’s abdomen before he latched onto the skin over his hipbone, sucking hard enough to leave a reddish mark behind. It was hard to miss the erection that was starting to strain at Sasuke’s pants, and Naruto ran a hand over it, cupping it, gently moving his hand over the hardening flesh. Sasuke hissed, his hips shooting off the couch, silently begging him for more. Naruto had every intention of giving Sasuke just that, but a doorbell interrupted them.  
  
“Shit”, Naruto whispered, moving away from his lover to open the door. Sasuke’s wrist shot out, stopping him.  
  
“This time you check the peephole,” he said insistently, eyes narrowed.  
  
Naruto just nodded and headed towards the door, checking the small hole before opening the door, just as instructed. As if he would ever forget to do that again after the surprise he’d gotten the last time he’d attempted it. A fist to the face was not a good welcome dammit.  
  
Pale eyes and long hair made the person on the other side of the door easily recognisable. He clicked open the lock and opened the door.  
  
“Hi Neji, he said, stepping to the side to let their co worker in. A quick glance behind him told him that Sasuke had pulled a blanket over lap, and was lying back on the couch, eyes clothes, looking very much like he was resting, and not like they’d just been interrupted during some pretty nice foreplay.  
  
Neji walked in, face set in a mask of indifference, pale eyes searching out Sasuke. There was the slightest tension around his eyes when he took in Sasuke, bandaged and bruised. Naruto only noticed the reaction because he had training reading Sasuke, otherwise Neji would have looked as stoic as ever. The two were actually really similar, could’ve been related. Had that whole aloof bastard thing down to a T.  
  
“Kakashi told me to bring this over,” Neji said, any surprise at seeing Sasuke’s battered state gone. He held out Sasuke’s katana. “Kakashi got the techs to save it from evidence. The car is not salvageable, and will stay in lock-up for now.  
  
“He also told me to specify that you are only getting this back as a token and not as an invitation to do anything but stay in bed.”  
  
Sasuke’s eyes narrowed, not happy with the orders. Naruto ignored him, grabbing the katana and laying it on a side table, well out of Sasuke’s reach.  
  
Neji left soon after, heading out to patrol with Shikamaru. Naruto made sure to lock the door behind him. “Let’s get you to bed, and I’ll continue where we left off.”  
  


***

  
Kakashi had his hands in his pocket and a stack of folders under his arm as he stepped into the interrogation room. He knew his slouch and carefree attitude made people think they could push him around, which was a good start in many interrogations. They didn’t know what hit them when he showed them just why he had become the youngest Unit leader the DPA had ever seen.  
  
The room was small and dark, with the token one way mirror and bolted down table. On the side opposite the mirror the man who called himself Kakuzu sat. Lank, dark hair hung in front of his face, and a grim face looked back at him. Heavy scars travelled from each corner of his mouth up his cheeks, and his eyes were an eerie combination of green on red. If it was tattoos or supernatural in origin Kakashi had no idea. All in all they had very little idea on anything about this Kakuzu. Any tests they had done told them both him and his partners were humans, but the DNA samples always came back saying that there was something corrupted in it, something unidentifiable. Fingerprints came back connected to various crimes, but no one had any idea just who he was, and so far he had alluded being captured. There was no trace of him or Hidan in any of their systems. It was like they were ghosts. Only they weren’t, because Kakashi had met many ghosts, and they tended to be rather intangible. It appeared they had both been fully human once, but wasn’t anymore. Whether science or magic was the culprit no one could say, at least not until the tests they’d taken came back from the lab, but the fact that the headless corpse in the morgue wasn’t showing any sign of decomposing, or even rigor mortis, told Kakashi that it was most likely something supernatural in nature.  
  
The forensic pathologist had expressed an interest in sewing the head of the corpse back on and see if it could be reanimated that way, but for now head and body was kept safely tucked away in separate drawers, just in case.  
  
Kakashi dumped the folders on the table and sat down opposite Kakuzu with his signature slouch.  
  
“Maa, you’ve created a lot of problems for us,” he said, shuffling the folders around, searching for the right one.  
  
“Attempted abduction of one of our partners, not once, but twice. A string of various crimes in Las Vegas, including the abduction of one business heir, the crushing of one drug ring and the murder of not one, but two politicians on business trips.” Kakashi pushed forward a new folder, flipped open to show the pictures inside, at every new crime.  
  
“And these are just the ones we’ve been able to pin on you this far. I’m going to venture a guess that we’ll find more as we keep digging.”  
  
Kakuzu looked as calm as ever, leaning forward on the desk, his hands chained to ensure he couldn’t reach over and smash Kakashi’s face into the desk. A fair few had tried just that over the years before he took over a vampire hunter unit. Now there was little interrogation and mostly executions to deal with.  
  
“So far we don’t have any true motive,” Kakashi continued, but Kakuzu interrupted him before he could say anything else.  
  
“Money.” his voice was gruff, matching his face in its roughness.  
  
“I figured as much.”  
  
From what Sasuke and Naruto had told him of their encounters, and what he had been able to dig up, Kakuzu and Hidan was common thugs-for-hire with a supernatural twist. They had the uncanny ability to come away alive, no matter what. Which was probably a handy ability to have when dealing with the shadier side of life.  
  
Money was a good motivator, and Kakuzu would hardly be the first to sell himself off for it. There was one good thing about money though, it did not buy loyalty. Any man willing to kill for money would be willing to give up their previous employee for the promise of more money.  
  
Kakashi smiled behind his mask.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, look! No massive cliffhanger this time. Thought I'd try something new. XD 
> 
> Also! I got a couple of commissions done for Partners, and they are both so awesome. One is a picture of Naruto when he's shifting, and the other a SasuNaru moment I really like. Cookies to whoever can tell me what chapter that scene is from! :D Make sure to go check it out and give her lots of love! 
> 
> http://danicat91.deviantart.com/art/SasuNaru-Commission-for-Miasen-519798829


	26. Chapter 26

Kakashi leaned back in his chair, acting nonchalant. “You’ve been very cooperative,” he said, scrutinizing the man in front of him. He’d been right in his assessment, money did not make for loyal servants, and Kakuzu had no qualms about giving up his employer when he realised who had more to offer right now. The other man wasn’t stupid, he knew what they had on him and that he was going away for a long time no matter what he said and did, so when Kakashi aired the idea of a deal he had instantly latched on.   
  
The murders they could pin on him ensured that getting away was not going to happen, but in exchange for what Kakashi wanted to know he had been ensure that his incarceration would take place in one of the nicer locations the US prison system had to offer, and if he behaved properly there was even the possibility he might come out of prison again at some point.  
  
The information Kakuzu had come with had been… enlightening. Not only had he given away a few earlier employers, amongst them an US senator that would be getting a visit from the men in blue real soon, but he had given them everything he had on his latest employer, the one that had wanted him to attack Kakashi’s subordinates. The only information he had not given up was regarding himself. Kakashi had still no idea just who or what Kakuzu was, but at this point that didn’t matter anymore. He had what he needed.  
  
Kakashi quickly shuffled together the papers and pushed away from the chair. “Someone will escort you back to your holding cell soon, and I’ll process the deal tonight. Thank you for your cooperation,” Kakashi said as he rose from the chair and walked towards the exit of the room.   
  
“He said that it was only a matter of time before he searched him out by himself,” Kakuzu said as Kakashi left the room. Kakashi didn’t hesitate at all as he left the room, didn’t give away that he’d even heard it, even though both men knew he had. However vague it seemed Kakashi knew exactly what Kakuzu was talking about, and he knew it was true, which frightened him more than anything.   
  
Sasuke wasn’t going to let this rest. He knew the demon that had murdered his family and stolen his brother from him was out there, knew the demon wanted to finish what he’d started all those years ago. Sasuke had devoted his life to getting strong and killing vampires because of that demon, and Kakashi knew that there was no way Sasuke would just let this rest.  
  
And however much faith he had in Sasuke he didn’t think this would be a fight he’d win, not alone.   
  
Kakashi swung by his office just long enough to drop off the stack of folders and the deal he’d made with Kakuzu before he left, taking the elevator to the sublevels of the high-rise. The corridor that opened in front of him was plain with white walls and brown doors at regular intervals, only small signs next to them actually showing what they contained. There were no windows down here below ground, so fluorescent lightings above him was the only thing lighting the way. It was… cold. Fitting considering where he was heading.   
  
He passed by storage rooms and archives and finally came upon the metallic door he had been headed for. He dragged his key card through a reader next to it and keyed in a code before pushing open the heavy door and stepping inside.   
  
The room he entered were just as plain as the hallway had been, a small reception area without a receptionist now late at night when only the skeleton crew was at work. There were labs and offices behind closed doors, but he knew no one were likely to be there. Instead he went over to a glass door set in the furthest corner and again used his key card to open it. The temperature in the new room was considerably cooler than the last. He cast a glance as the small sign above the key card reader as he walked inside. _Morgue._  
  
He heard the faint sound of music, and followed it into one of the rooms used for whatever it was they did down here. Kakashi had been working with vampires for years, and they never left any remains to examine, so he hadn’t spent much time down here in the bowels of the building.  
  
A grey-haired man with a lab coat was standing with his back towards Kakashi, bent over an examination table. The music he’d heard came from a small radio standing on a shelf on the other side of the room.   
  
Kakashi cleared his throat just loudly enough to get the attention of the other man, who turned around quickly, scalpel lifted as if to attack. Kakashi lifted his hands in surrender, his visible eye crinkling as he smiled in a way he knew would translate past the mask.  
  
“I mean no harm,” he said, and the other seemed to suddenly realise what he was doing and put down the scalpel on the small tray standing next to him.   
  
“I’m sorry, not a lot of people come down here,” he said in apology as he pushed his glasses up his nose with the back of a hand. “I’d shake your hand, but,” he said and gestured with the same hand. He was wearing latex gloves, but they were covered in green ooze.  
  
Kakashi wasn’t sure he wanted to know just what was lying on the examination table in front of the other man, but stepped closer nonetheless. The body lying on the cool metal was deceptively normal on the outside. Tan skin, brown hair, pretty nondescript. But where the chest had been cracked open it revealed another story. Kakashi knew what a human chest was supposed to look like, and this was… not it. Where lungs and heart and liver would usually reside there was now sickly green ooze. The small was putrid, even through his mask, like sulphur and rotting fruit.   
  
“They found her lying in the parking lot of her office building. She was last seen fourteen hours earlier, and her co-workers said she was fine at the time,” the grey-haired man explained. Kakashi looked down at his name tag, getting tired of mentally referring to him as _grey-haired man._ Dr. Yakushi. Kakashi knew him by name, and reputation. A very capable coroner he was pretty much in charge of the DPA morgue.   
  
“Do you know what’s happened to her?” Kakashi asked, taking a step away from the body to get away from the smell. How Dr. Yakushi could spend extended time with that smell he had no idea.  
  
“There are marks here.” The doctor pointed to a set of small marks in the crook of her elbow. “They are consisted with some kind of injection. A large gauge needle directly to the vein. What’s most interesting is this though.”  
  
The doctor stepped away from the autopsy table to a smaller table that had been pushed to the side. In a metal bowl of green ooze there was… something. Kakashi held his breath as he leaned closer. “What is it?” he asked.  
  
“An egg.”  
  
Kakashi’s eyes widened as he stared down at the object that had obviously been extracted from the body. That was… disturbing. Suddenly he was very happy to be working in the vampire execution unit, because this was just… wrong.   
  
“We think it’s a naga of some sort. I have never seen any in the States before, but I know they’ve had trouble with some nests in Asia; it wouldn’t be too surprising if they are spreading. Unit 3 is already working on the case,” Dr. Yakushi continued as he observed the egg. The look in his eyes was slightly off-putting. No disgust, merely fascination and… excitement?   
  
“But I don’t believe you came here to discuss this case, do I assume correctly?” the doctor said as he pulled off his latex gloves and dropped them into a trash can marked _biohazard._  
  
“No, I’m here about the headless corpse that came in from Unit 7.”  
  
“Ah, now that is an interesting one,” Yakushi said as he walked into an adjoining room, Kakashi following him, casting a last worried glance at the egg they left behind, unguarded. He really hoped Yakushi knew what he was doing.  
  
The next room had a series of metal drawers lining one wall, and the doctor walked straight towards one and pulled it open, revealing a body inside. There was nothing distinguishingly about it. The skin was pale, but the kind of pale that came from not venturing out during the day, not the pale, bluish tint that came with death. The only thing that pointed towards the body being dead rather than alive was the fact that it had no head.  
  
The doctor pulled open another drawer, this one only containing said head. By now Hidan would have been dead several days already, but looking at his remains made it seem like the head had been removed only moments ago. His eyes were glassy but still clear, staring into the space above him blankly. His lips had a pink tint to them, and apart from the ragged mess that had at some point been his throat he looked perfectly fine.   
  
“We keep them stored in separate drawers, just in case. As you can see there’s no sign of deterioration on the body. Even if he’s stored in cold drawers there should be some sign of his cells dying, but it doesn’t appear to be. It’s as if at the moment of death the body just froze. Rather than dying he appears to be dormant. I believe that if we could connect the head to the body and replenish the circulatory system we might get him back to life again. It’s all theory at this point though; I have never seen anything like this before.”  
  
The doctor snapped on a fresh pair of gloves and moved the head so Kakashi could see the underside. “As you can see the head was torn right off, and although it would be hard to connect it again it is possible. We don’t know what the outcome might be though. With the spine snapped like this it might mean that he would be reanimated into a complete vegetative state. Or his body might be able to heal himself, or we wouldn’t’ be able to get him back to life at all. We would have to try and see what happened, because as far as we know this is completely unprecedented.  
  
“We have sent of multiple tissue samples to the lab for analysis, it might tell us more.” Yakushi’s eyes seemed alight with excitement behind his glasses, and Kakashi didn’t like that one bit.  
  
“You are to analyse the body and report your finding to the department head and me directly. Any further examinations and experiments are only to take place after explicit orders from one of us,” he said. There was something about this doctor that made Kakashi uneasy. He seemed too interested in his job, and they could not afford any of their own striking off and do unwarranted experiments when they had no idea what the outcome might be. Kakashi would have to make sure to keep an eye on Dr. Yakushi, just in case. He didn’t trust him not to do something foolish.  
  
When it became apparent that they still did not know anything worth mentioning about Hidan or Kakuzu he left the morgue and headed back upstairs. It was well into morning by now, and the day crews were starting to filter in to the building. He had a meeting with the unit leaders in a few hours, and figured he might as well catch some sleep in his office. There was no time to go home and sleep, and it wouldn’t be the first time he did this. It wasn’t like he had anything to go home to anyways.  
  
  


***

  
  
  
The next few days were torturous for Sasuke. He was contained to his bed, willing his body to heal faster than it was capable of. He wanted to be out there on the streets, wanted to chase down Itachi and end this once and for all. His brother was closer than ever, just out of his grasp, and he wanted to kill him, to finally put an end to the darkness and get his revenge for his family.  
  
Naruto did what he could to distract him, playing house around him, but apart from when his amazing mouth brought him to delicious orgasm after orgasm Sasuke could not pull his mind away from Itachi.  
  
He knew his brother was out there, knew he wanted him so he could tear his soul apart. Sasuke had barely survived the death of his family, had spiralled into a dark place that he was only recently seeing any hope of escaping, and now Itachi was back, ready to tear him asunder all over again. Sasuke wasn’t one to talk about feelings, but he knew that Naruto meant more to him than anything had in a very long time, and he didn’t think he would get over losing him as well.   
  
It frustrated him that he didn’t know anything. Had no idea where Itachi was or what he was planning, had no idea who Hidan and Kakuzu really was, had no idea how to stop this. He wished things had been different. He had no idea about the circumstances regarding Itachi’s death, but he knew his brother had gone out one night, happy to be allowed to go out with his friends, and when he came back it was no longer his brother. Sasuke knew the demon that was hunting him wasn’t really his brother, just the shell that had at one point been his brother. It may have been easier if the demon didn’t take on Itachi’s memories as well to the point where the only thing that separated his brother and the demon was the fact that his soul, his essence, was gone, replaced with the dark twisted soul of a demon. Had Sasuke been religious he would have imagined that Itachi’s soul was in heaven by now, but he had seen too much darkness to believe in any higher power guiding them. His brother was gone, his soul wafted away like so much smoke, and back was something that looked like his brother, talked like his brother and knew him like his brother, but was essentially a being from the sulphurous pits they called hell. Not a hell ruled by some fallen angel named Lucifer, that was pure human mythology, but another world, one where dark beings lived, forever searching to get out to the human world to terrorize and feed and have their disgusting version of fun.   
  
He knew several of his co-workers had been doing various work on the case, but whenever they came over to visit--something they did annoyingly often--they never told him anything. Apparently Kakashi’s orders.   
  
Kiba had just left, and all he had said was that they were still looking in to things, which was not helpful in the slightest. Sasuke had no idea if Itachi would know of Kakuzu and Hidan’s failure by now, if he would send out more goons, or if the duo hadn’t reported in regularly and it would take a while before he was informed. He was expecting someone to come knocking to take them both out any moment, but none of the other seemed concerned, and that was even more frustrating. Sasuke hated being confined to the apartment, hated that Naruto was running around like some caretaker. Sasuke was shot, he wasn’t an invalid. He just needed a healthy dose of painkillers and he could be out there again, fighting.   
  
Naruto lay down on the bed next to him, hands behind his head as he stretched out his long legs, looking completely unfazed with everything that was going on. Sasuke was certain Naruto was only acting calm for his behalf, but at times he wondered. Usually Naruto was a pretty shitty actor, so he could tell exactly what he was thinking about, but now he looked so deceivingly calm, like he wasn’t worried at all that a vicious vampire was out there, wanting him dead. Naruto was really something out of the ordinary. All kinds of horrible things could happen to him, and it just washed away, leaving Naruto behind, unscathed. He was stronger than anyone Sasuke had ever met before, and it just made him realise how Naruto was too good for him.   
  
Naruto deserved someone who made him happy, not some miserable bastard that brought more pain to him.   
  
Soft snores soon filled the room as Naruto drifted off, his face in a soft smile, his nose scrunching occasionally as he started dreaming. Sasuke just laid in silence and watched him, filled with wonder that someone like Naruto would ever care about Sasuke. There had been plenty of admirers in Sasuke’s past, but they only wanted him for his looks. With Naruto things were different, he seemed to see past his exterior and see something more in Sasuke, and quite frankly that thought terrified him, because he knew he’d never be good enough.  
  
In the end his eyelids got too heavy to keep watching his sleeping lover, and soon he drifted off too.   
  
_"I'm coming for you little brother, I will get your little lover, and I'll flay him while you watch. His blood will be on your hands, his death on your conscience."  
  
Eyes that were all too familiar blazed the colour of blood, a wicked grin twisting his big brother's beautiful face into a mask of terror. Sasuke stared in horror, unable to move his feet as his brother walked closer. There was still blood on his face, in stark contrast to his deathly pale skin. A pink tongue darted out from behind thin lips, lapping at the blood, seemingly revelling in the taste of copper.   
  
Sasuke was frozen, unable to move his feet as Itachi came closer. The tip of white fangs were visible behind lips still stretched into that awful grin, fangs that had torn through his parents like their skin was paper, leaving them bleeding and hurting on the ground.   
  
A hand lifted, long fingers suitable for a pianist stretching towards him, nails painted a dark purple, the colour of gangrene.   
  
"It will be your fault when he dies, and the last thing he will know is pain, excruciating pain, and he will know it is your fault, and his last breath will be spent cursing you."   
  
The voice was so cold, so vicious that it bore through Sasuke's soul like an ice-pick, hurting him in his very core because he knew it to be true. Knew that when Itachi killed Naruto it would be Sasuke's fault, because Sasuke had been weak and let himself get close to someone, had allowed himself to love when he should have steeled his heart and found his revenge.  
  
"Look behind you, baby brother, see what you have caused," Itachi said, and Sasuke found his head turning by itself, unable to stop the slow rotation until his eyes saw what was behind him.  
  
Naruto was broken, body and soul, lying on the ground like some discarded toy, thrown away when no longer found amusing. His eyes were wide and terrified, his body torn open. He should be dead, should not be able to lock his eyes with Sasuke's, showing so much hatred as full lips parted, blood trailing down his cheeks in a thick stream of fluids.   
  
"Why did you do this, Sasuke?" his pained voice hacked, sounding like it had been rubbed raw with sandpaper.   
  
Sasuke screamed. _  
  
The scream brought Sasuke trashing out of the nightmare he had been caught up in. He jerked to an upright position, his heart hammering in his chest. He was drenched in sweat, his body sticky with it. Clutching at his chest he tried calming himself, tried to convince himself it was only a nightmare, and failed miserably. He looked to the right, saw Naruto curled up on his side, facing him. He looked so peaceful, completely oblivious to the horror Sasuke had just gone through, thankfully.   
  
An image of Naruto's broken body burst into his mind again, sending Sasuke to the brink of a panic attack. Scrambling out of bed he ignored the pain shooting through his shoulder at the sudden movements and barely got into the bathroom before he retched hard, his dinner leaving him violently as he bent over the toilet bowl. He clutched the porcelain hard until only bile was coming up, tainting his mouth with its sour taste.   
  
Lying down on the cold tiles, hands in front of his face he shook hard. He wanted to sob, but even now he couldn't allow himself to do something as mundane as cry, so he just shook, fighting for every breath.  
  
It had been so _real._ Itachi looking just like he had the day he killed their parents, the mild-mannered big brother having been turned into a vicious killer, forever twisting the view Sasuke had of his big brother, tainting the good memories he had of him.   
  
What really made him panic this fiercely was the simple fact that it was all true. Naruto was in danger because of Sasuke, and if he died it would be Sasuke's fault. The idea of someone as utterly alive as Naruto dying was foreign, and it hurt in a primal way. Sasuke could not let it happen, could not allow his brother to realise how much he cared for Naruto, could not make him his target. It might not be too late yet. He could leave and search out his brother alone, leaving all trace of his relationship with Naruto behind. Naruto would be pissed as hell, but he would be alive.   
  
It wouldn’t matter if Sasuke killed Itachi or if he died trying, either way Naruto would be safe. He would be able to live on, find someone else and be happy. What did Sasuke really have to offer him other than pain anyways?   
  
There was really nothing else Sasuke could do. He knew his co-workers were working on locating Itachi, but at the same time he knew Itachi would not be found. His brother would hide in the shadows, and Sasuke would have to find him.  
  
It was always supposed to be like this wasn’t it, Itachi against Sasuke, brother against brother, a fight to the death? Sasuke had only been avoiding the inevitable all this time, but now when it came down to it he knew what he had to do, knew what his life had been building up to.   
  
Getting to his feet he set his resolve. This would end, one way or another, and that ending started now. He rinsed his mouth, getting rid of the taste of bile before sneaking back into the bedroom, pulling on a simple long-sleeved t-shirt and a pair of black jeans he found in the back of his closet. Thankfully the blond was a heavy sleeper, still lying in bed, completely oblivious to what was going on.   
  
Sasuke headed into the kitchen, hesitating a moment before getting a pen and a piece of paper, writing a short note to Naruto, warning him to stay away, that Sasuke needed to be alone for this. He grabbed the katana lying in the living room, along with his gun and bullets, throwing the weapons into a bag before heading towards the door, steeling himself. A part of him screamed for him to just go back to Naruto, knowing that it was likely to be the last time he was with the blond, but he knew that if he did his resolve would start crumbling, and he couldn't allow that to happen.   
  
"You fucking asshole." The voice was hard, spat at him, tinted with venom, making Sasuke freeze, hand on the doorknob that would lead him out of this apartment and Naruto's life.   
  
Sasuke hesitated, drawn between running away and dealing with the confrontation, finally turning slowly.  
  
Naruto was standing in the doorway to the bedroom, leaning against the frame, arms crossed in front of him. He was positively seething with anger, his shoulders drawn up, his face set in a sneer.   
  
"I have to go," Sasuke said simply. He wished Naruto hadn’t woken up before he was gone, this would be exponentially harder with him here.  
  
"What, you’re leaving to take him down by yourself, is that it?"   
  
Sasuke had never heard Naruto like this before. His voice was so… eerily calm, but at the same time he could hear the barely contained fury within him.  
  
"Yes," Sasuke said, not wanting to explain himself any further.  
  
"Well, fuck you. I'm not letting you go out there to get killed." Naruto uncrossed his arms, taking a step closer to Sasuke.   
  
Sasuke couldn't deal with this, couldn’t deal with Naruto's worrying about him. He wanted him to hate him for dragging him into this shit, wanted him to get to his senses and just let Sasuke go. Sasuke could deal with Naruto moving on with his life, he just could not deal with him dying. He would do anything to make sure that didn’t happen, even if it meant making Naruto hate him.  
  
"Just go back to bed, Naruto," he said, fighting to keep his voice calm. "I can handle this without you."  
  
Naruto walked closer to him, body tense, eyes blazing with fury. Sasuke thought he saw a flash of red in them, but it might have been a trick of the light. Naruto wouldn’t listen to reason, so he needed to keep him away some other way.   
  
"You'll only make this worse, Naruto. I work better on my own."  
  
"We both know that is bullshit, Uchiha."  
  
"I don't need you, Uzumaki. I managed well enough for my entire life without you in it."  
  
"Keep on telling yourself that."  
  
Sasuke closed his eyes for a moment, needing to calm himself.  
  
"This thing between us didn’t mean anything anyways, it was just a silly fling. Move on already."  
  
Sasuke was not prepared for the hard laughter Naruto responded with.  
  


***

  
Naruto stared at Sasuke, seeing the steely look in dark eyes, knowing Sasuke was determined to scare him away. Obviously Sasuke thought he was an idiot, not able to see through the ruse. Naruto knew exactly what Sasuke was battling with, even if Sasuke thought he was being so good at hiding his feelings. Sasuke was terrified. Terrified over losing someone he cared about. It wasn’t that Naruto was full of himself, he just knew Sasuke well enough by now to know he had managed to get to him like no one else had, and that had made Sasuke feel vulnerable in a way he was not accustomed to.   
  
So now he had retorted to cheap shots, wanting to scare Naruto away so he would be out of harm's way. Well, Naruto called bullshit on that. He knew what he was getting himself into, knew about the vampire set on destroying Naruto, knew that he was a possible target. He had been a target his entire life, it wasn’t exactly an unfamiliar situation to him. Naruto knew how to take care of himself, even if Sasuke seemed to forget about that. Naruto was not about to let Sasuke go through this alone, now he just needed to show Sasuke that.   
  
"Why didn’t you leave me alone, I scare off everyone else," Sasuke said, voice barely keeping steady.  
  
"I don't scare easily, Sasuke, you should know that by now," Naruto retorted, blue eyes not wavering from Sasuke's dark ones.   
  
"I can't do this, I can't have people around me, I'm too fucked up."  
  
"We're all a little fucked up."  
  
"Naruto, please, just… move on. You don’t want to deal with my shit."  
  
"I think I can decide for myself what I want or don’t want, Sasuke."  
  
"Naruto…" Sasuke pleaded, and there was no mistaking the hurt in his eyes. Sasuke appeared to be truly afraid for him, and it broke Naruto's heart. Sasuke seemed so strong, so in control with his emotions, but underneath all that he was broken. The death of his family had affected him deeply, but by never working through it, just trying to force his way past it rather than let the pain wash over him he had damaged himself. Naruto wasn’t sure Sasuke could ever be truly happy, that he could ever get over the hurt, but he was not about to leave him now. It was clear that Sasuke did care for him, even if he wasn’t ready to put it in words, and right now Sasuke could really use someone on his side, someone who saw through the bullshit and the facade to the man underneath, the man who worked so hard to be strong, who never gave up, who just needed a break. Naruto didn’t know how to help, didn’t know if he was strong enough to be everything Sasuke would need, but he was not going to back away. He would not abandon Sasuke. Naruto never backed down, and when it came to those he loved he would do anything to protect them.   
  
Lifting his hands to gently cup the back of Sasuke's head he pulled the raven closer, eyes boring into his, Naruto trying to convey all the feelings that was flowing through him, wanting Sasuke to see how much he cared for him.  
  
"You're not getting rid of me now, Uchiha, so you better get used to it," he said, voice unwavering.   
  
Sasuke was about to argue with him, he could see it in his dark eyes, but Naruto wasn’t going to give him the opportunity. Yanking Sasuke closer he pressed his lips firmly against his. He could feel Sasuke tense, hands moving to Naruto's chest to push him away. Damned stubborn man, could he just not stop fighting for once?  
  
Naruto moved his lips against Sasuke's, tongue dipping out to trace along the seam of his lips, and when that didn’t help he drew Sasuke's bottom lip into his mouth, biting down.   
  
Sasuke released a breath of sudden pain, and Naruto used the opportunity when his lips were parted to thrust his tongue in. It found Sasuke's and traced along it, and finally Sasuke surrendered. His final shields crumbled, and he gave in completely. His hands fisted in the front of Naruto's shirt, pulling him even closer as he delved into the kiss with all the passion he had. His firm lips pressed back against him, his tongue coming out to tangle with Naruto’s in a desperate dance.   
  
This was not the time for gentle lovemaking or drawn-out foreplay, this was a time for raw emotions playing out in the most carnal of ways. Naruto needed to show Sasuke that he wasn’t going anywhere, and that Sasuke belonged to Naruto and that no matter how much he fought Naruto was not going to let go of him or back down. Naruto needed to take away Sasuke’s control and let him lose himself in the moment.  
  
Naruto moved his hands to fist the front of Sasuke’s t-shirt, twisting him around and slowly, but deliberately, pushing him back towards the bedroom. Sasuke stumbled slightly in front of him, but Naruto's grip held him upright until he could finally push Sasuke back onto the bed.  
  
"Take off your clothes," Naruto demanded. Sasuke hesitated for a moment, but Naruto's unwavering gaze seemed to make him realise he should just do what the fuck Naruto said right now. He quickly shed them, leaving him naked on the bed, lying on his back. The bruises on his body had mostly faded, leaving only the bandage around his shoulder to mar that perfect skin. He was healing well, so Naruto had no fears that this would harm him in any way, which was fucking perfect, because he was not going to go easy on Sasuke, not now. He knew that this was what they both needed right now.  
  
Sasuke was trying to act aloof, but the straining erection he sported showed Naruto that Sasuke was more than ready for this, that right now Sasuke needed to be dominated, to have his control taken away from him completely.   
  
"Get on your hands and knees," Naruto said simply, leaving to fetch supplies while Sasuke gracefully twisted his body on the bed, getting in the position. Naruto could tell him hesitate slightly, knew he would feel exposed like this, and knowing that was just what they needed right now. So far he had allowed Sasuke to top whenever they had sex, that was about to end tonight.  
  
He had found one of his few ties in his dresser, and with it in hand he crawled onto the bed, right behind Sasuke, giving him a good view of the puckered opening he had every intention of slamming into later. Leaning over Sasuke's back he flattened his tongue against his spine, licking up it in a firm stroke, hands lingering at Sasuke's hips, holding him in place. Sasuke shuddered underneath him as Naruto got to his neck, pulling away to let his mouth gently ghost across the sensitive skin, breath and lips teasing him. "Put your hands behind your back," Naruto whispered, his mouth close to Sasuke's ear.  
  
He felt Sasuke stiffen for a moment, but he obeyed beautifully, lowering his upper body to the bed, hands going behind his back. Naruto could see his hands fisting as the raven struggled with himself, used to always be the one to make demands. Naruto chuckled low in his throat, loving that he was the one who made Sasuke like this, the only one to have this power over him.   
  
Pulling his wrists together Naruto looped the tie around them, tying them together, making sure he wouldn’t be able to pull his hands apart but still able to get blood to his extremities. "Does this hurt your shoulder?" he asked. He wanted to take away Sasuke’s control, allow him to lose himself in the moment, but not if it would hurt him seriously. He thought the shoulder would have healed enough to deal with some weight, but he didn’t want to risk it not being.  
  
Sasuke hesitated for a moment, seemingly wondering if he should use this as a way to get out of this situation before a quiet _no_ came from his lips. Naruto grinned widely, his feral nature very pleased that Sasuke was giving in to him.  
  
With Sasuke's upper body pressed to the mattress like this his ass was even more exposed. Naruto's hand grasped a pale cheek, pulling it to the side, making sure he could see the most intimate parts of him now. He could feel Sasuke stiffening underneath him, but knew Sasuke would forget about his discomfort soon enough.  
  
"You look so fucking beautiful like this," Naruto praised before leaning in, needing to taste him.  
  
His flattened his tongue against the puckered opening, dragging against it lightly, feeling it twitch underneath his tongue. Grinning he set to work, tongue moving against it, around it, dipping just inside before moving away again. He wanted Sasuke to beg for more, wanted him desperate for Naruto's cock.   
  
Both of Naruto's hands were on Sasuke's ass cheeks now, spreading him wide for him. Needing Sasuke to unravel for him, wanting him to scream and trash and beg to _fucking come already_ Naruto stopped the teasing and speared Sasuke's ass without warning. Sasuke was tight around him, the opening squeezing around his tongue. Naruto pulled out only to push back in. He felt Sasuke tremble underneath him, and knew Sasuke was slowly giving in, his body taking over for his mind. His mind was still fighting against it, and Naruto could see that fight in the way his hands clenched and unclenched, but his body was obviously very ready to give in, and as Naruto teased him with wet tongue and mouth Sasuke’s mind slowly, but surely, lost the fight.  
  
Quickly wetting his thumb Naruto pushed it in when his tongue retreated, the rest of the fingers pressing against Sasuke's perineum, distracting him from the feeling of having his ass penetrated. Running his other hand around Sasuke's hip he wrapped it around his cock, noting that he was just as hard as ever, precum spread on the head. He dragged his thumb over the sensitive head, flicking gently at the slit before moving down the length.   
  
"You are so hard for me," Naruto moaned as he bit down on one pert ass cheek. "You love this don’t you, for me to tie you up and eat you out?"  
  
He wasn’t expecting any answers from Sasuke, knowing Sasuke would still be battling with himself. It would take a lot to make Sasuke admit to liking this, but Naruto was not going to give up this easily, he knew he would have Sasuke thrashing and moaning and screaming his name soon enough. He knew Sasuke would be torn between giving in to the pleasure and to maintain control of the situation, and Naruto was watching him closely. Any sign that Sasuke didn’t really want this and he’d stop in a split-second. Naruto wanted Sasuke to give up control, not to rip it away from him. He wanted Sasuke to trust him enough to give in to the pleasure and forget everything else for a moment.  
  
"I know you are turned on as hell right now, but I don't want you coming anytime soon, Sasuke. When you come it is going to be because I tell you that you can, and that won't happen until I'm deep inside you. I want to feel you around me when you come," Naruto said, huskily. He saw Sasuke fist the sheets as the words flowed over him, and he knew they would have an impact on him.   
  
His own cock was pushing hard against the fly of his pants by now, wanting nothing but to be buried inside Sasuke. Naruto needed to be naked to feel Sasuke's skin against his, so he quickly pulled off his clothes, creeping up so he was standing on his knees behind Sasuke. He tilted his hips, letting his erection brush against Sasuke's opening, showing exactly what he was going to do. For a moment he thought he heard a moan from Sasuke, but it there had been one it had been squashed in its birth. Not that it mattered, there would be more to follow.  
  
Naruto quickly grabbed the bottle of lube he had brought with him earlier, held it over Sasuke's ass crack and slowly let it dribble out of the bottle and down on the heated skin. Sasuke hissed as the cold liquid connected, but that was quickly choked as Naruto ran his fingers through it, pressing against his opening, pressing one finger inside without giving Sasuke much time to adjust. He worked the finger in and out a few times before pressing another finger against the opening. There was some resistance, but slowly Sasuke's muscle relaxed around the digits, allowing Naruto to work them inside. Sasuke finally started relinquishing some control, his hips jerking, pushing back against Naruto's fingers, pulling more of them inside.   
  
Sasuke stiffened for a moment in discomfort as a third finger joined the stretching, his back arching as he tried to relax around them, but soon enough his hips started moving again, his head twisting to the side so Naruto could see the side of his face. His lips were parted as he breathed heavily, his cheeks were stained with a red tint and his eyes scrunched shut. His hair fanned around his head and Naruto didn’t think he had ever looked more beautiful.  
  
It was starting to be a real struggle to maintain his control. Naruto’s cock was aching to be buried inside Sasuke, a steady drip of precum running down his shaft, his balls drawing tighter to his body. He couldn’t wait any longer, needed this so bad now. Seeing Sasuke submit to him like this was a heady experience, and it was driving him mad with lust.  
  
Positioning his cock at Sasuke's entrance, making sure it was coated in lube he hesitated for a moment. They usually wore a condom while doing this, although they had both confirmed that they were clean from any STIs. He didn’t want that condom now though, wanted to feel every inch of Sasuke's body perfectly, wanted to come deep inside him, fill Sasuke completely with his come, see it leaking out of him.   
  
Grabbing Sasuke's hip he pushed, the opening resisting at first, then, finally, opening up, allowing him to press inside. He took it slow, however torturous it was, wanting to give Sasuke ample time to get used to the feeling of his girth inside of him. Sasuke was so tight, clenching down hard around him. His lover's back arched, hands spasming slightly where they were bound in the small of his back.  
  
Naruto moaned loud when he finally entered Sasuke completely, hip against hip, cock buried deep. "You are so _tight,_ " he gritted between clenched teeth, fingers digging into hips, leaving red marks behind. He heard small sounds from Sasuke too now, muffled moans he apparently struggled to contain, the sound hitching in his throat.   
  
Naruto pulled out until only the head of his cock was still inside Sasuke. "I want you to yell for me."   
  
He pushed in hard, tearing a moan of mixed pleasure and pain from Sasuke's throat, the raven finally snapping. Once that scream had erupted it seemed to break a dam, Sasuke forgetting all about maintaining his control. As Naruto fucked him, setting the tempo at hard and unforgiving, he moaned and groaned, his body twisting underneath him.   
  
Naruto felt something churn inside, a feeling of something primal, a need to mark his mate, to claim him completely. A small part of him knew this was the shifter part of him, but it was too hard to contain, overpowering his mind. He needed Sasuke with a passion he couldn’t even fathom, needed him to be his forever, needed to show him... needed more… wanted… not enough.   
  
Wrapping an arm around Sasuke's midriff he yanked his lover up against his chest, leaning back on his haunches as he thrust up into Sasuke, using his grip around him to move him more firmly up and down his cock. Sasuke was lost in passion by now, moaning out loudly, control long since shattered. The sound drove Naruto on, sent him into a void where there was only lust and possession governing him.   
  
He could feel the beast within roar to life, spurred on by the animalistic nature of their fucking. The world grew red at the edges, and he felt blunt teeth grow and shift, fangs taking their place. He threw his head back, snarled and then struck, teeth latching onto the supple flesh of Sasuke's left shoulder, biting down hard.   
  
Sasuke let out a hiss of pain that instantly morphed into a drawn-out moan as one of Naruto’s hands moved across his taut abdomen to curl around his hard erection. The combination of Naruto thrusting against the bundle of nerves inside and running his palm firmly against his hardness seemed to instantly drown out any pain  
  
Naruto smiled around the flesh in his teeth, some part of him knowing he would look terrifying right now, another part loving the feeling of power rushing through him.   
  
He opened his jaws, seeing the distinct marking of his teeth forever embedded in Sasuke's skin, two rows of puncture marks bleeding lightly. Lapping at the blood he moaned at the coppery taste.  
  
He knew he couldn't last long, his orgasm already twitching in his gut, wanting to rip through him. He wanted Sasuke coming first though, wanted to feel him clamp down around him as he came. He wrapped his hand around Sasuke's erection, twisting slightly as he moved up and down, following the pace of the thrust of his hips. “Come for me,” he breathed in Sasuke’s ear, his tongue tracing along the edge of it.   
  
Sasuke came seconds later, ropes of cum splattering his belly as one word flew out of his mouth in a scream driven purely by lust. "Naruto!"  
  
The sound of his name leaving Sasuke's lips combined with his body tightening around him as he came had Naruto's orgasm rupture moments later. It uncoiled in his gut, spreading through him like a lightning bolt, cock emptying his seed deep inside Sasuke. He clutched onto Sasuke's hips, holding him firmly in place as he pulsated inside him.  
  
As the orgasm ebbed Naruto felt the world blur at the edges, his beast retreating back inside the depths of him, the mind-blowing orgasm sapping him completely of strength. He barely had the power to gently lower Sasuke to the mattress before collapsing bonelessly on it himself.   
  
He breathed hard, struggling to find himself and draw himself out of the primal state he had been drawn into. He was not sure what had happened there. He had never done anything like this before, lost control so completely during sex, going as far as to not just nibbling playfully but bite fully.  
  
Twisting his head embarrassment rushed through him. Sasuke was lying on his side, hands still behind his back, breathing heavily. His eyes were hooded, his cheeks blushing a deep red, sweat shining on his forehead. He looked… beautiful, a vulnerability showing that Naruto hadn’t seen before. Naruto leaned in, placing a soft kiss on Sasuke's lips before moving to untie him. Sasuke barely seemed to have realised he was still tied up, his actions sluggish as he pulled his hands in front of him, rubbing at his wrists lightly.   
  
Sasuke blinked a couple of times and finally he seemed to come out of his post-sex blissful state, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Naruto.   
  
Needing to make sure he didn’t retreat behind his shields again Naruto leaned out grabbing his chin in a soft grip, meeting his eyes firmly.   
  
"I love you."  
  
Sasuke's eyes flew wide open at Naruto's words. Naruto could see emotion flash over his face, something that was about unheard of when it came to Sasuke who always kept his emotions hidden.   
  
"I love you," Naruto said again, firmer. "And I'm not going anywhere. We are in this together. We'll get through this, kill the bad guy and move on. "  
  
Sasuke didn’t say anything, but Naruto knew that he understood that Naruto was beyond serious. He was not going to let Sasuke go now, no matter what. He'd rather sacrifice himself in the process. He wasn’t sure when Sasuke had gotten so deep underneath his skin, but he had, and now Naruto didn’t think he could ever live without him. It seemed like the beast within him agreed, having claimed Sasuke for his mate.   
  
Naruto pulled Sasuke close, wrapping his arm around him, and for a while they just laid in silence, listening to each other's heartbeat and breathing.   
  
"I can't believe you actually bit me," Sasuke suddenly said. Naruto pulled away enough to see his face, and Sasuke added, "You were totally shifting weren’t you?"  
  
Naruto looked away for a moment. Sasuke was right, Naruto had lost some of the tight control he kept on the beast within, just enough for it to break free and mark Sasuke. He didn't like it, didn't like that he'd actually wounded Sasuke, didn't like that in that moment he had let the beast rule, and that for a moment it had felt so good. He would have to tighten the leash to ensure that it didn't happen again.  
  
Naruto grinned sheepishly, trying to play off his worries. Sasuke had enough to deal with right now. "Yeah, I might have lost control a little. Are you okay?"   
  
A dark eyebrow shot up at that. "Okay? I'm going to need a rabies shot."  
  
Naruto sputtered. He did not have rabies!  
  
Sasuke smiled smugly, obviously pleased with having gotten to Naruto. It was strange how quickly Sasuke could pull him out of his morose thoughts. One teasing remark and Naruto fell for it blindly. In a way he liked it. This was the Sasuke he had fallen for, the one who had a sharp tongue beneath a seemingly cool exterior, not the one who had been so shutoff these last days. Obviously a good fuck was the way to go when Sasuke got too moody. Naruto would have to file that knowledge away for later use.   
  
Naruto nuzzled Sasuke's neck. "You make a good bottom you know."  
  
"This was a one-time deal, Uzumaki."  
  
"Sure, whatever you say," Naruto said, knowing that no way was he not going to do this again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So! The NaruSasu part of SasuNaruSasu finally comes into play. :3 Hope you all liked it! Comments are always appreciated, we're getting closer and closer to the end, and I wanna know what you liked/didn't like so far so I know how to be better <3


	27. Chapter 27

Sasuke balled up a piece of paper and threw it in the direction of the trashcan, not following its trajectory to see if he made the shot or not. He was growing exponentially frustrated as he went through every single piece of information he had gathered on Itachi through the years. Files were scattered on most surfaces in his office, and he’d been pouring over everything, from possible sightings in Europe and Asia through the years, to confessions made from less than trustworthy sources. The piece of paper that had been tossed away just now had been a confession from a German werewolf that had ensured Sasuke that he had killed Itachi years ago in a turf feud. Obviously that had been yet another dead end, because Itachi seemed to be very much still alive. Or at least as alive as a vampire could ever be.  
  
He ran a hand through his hair, tugging at the strands in frustration. He’d been stuck inside this apartment since the accident, and he had spent what time he could—mostly when Naruto was away on an errand because the blond kept insisting that he should stay in bed and not work—analysing all his information again, but it was taking him nowhere. Itachi had been too good at hiding all these years, and although Sasuke suspected that it was because he had been spending time far away, in some country where the government had less control over the supernatural situation. There were plenty of countries that didn’t even officially acknowledge that there was anything such as supernatural beings, and that it was all an elaborate hoax the American government or the European Union had construed to gain further control over them. Stupid fuckers the lot of them.  
  
Shoving away from the desk Sasuke thought back to the brother he had once had. Itachi had been considered a genius as a child. A prodigy, studying at levels far beyond his age group. Sasuke remembered his brother sitting at his desk with thick books on advanced math in front of him, long nights spent studying where his classmates played soccer or videogames or other mundane activities. Itachi had never been too busy for his little brother though, and it was never difficult to persuade him to take a break from his studies to play a round of tag or help Sasuke with his homework.   
  
When Itachi died at the hands of whichever vampire had gotten to him that night before Sasuke’s world was torn apart his soul might have been destroyed, but the memories still lived as encoded neural connections in the brain now operated by the demon who called himself Itachi. It had access to every part of what had once been Sasuke’s beloved brother, and although the demon was a separate entity, a parasite in a body that didn’t belong to it, it would use whatever it could from that host body. Meaning it would be smart. It would know exactly how to hide for years, to lurk in shadows and stay under the radar. It wouldn’t be foolish enough to stay in one place long enough, because it would know that if the body count suddenly spiked in an area the DPA would be called in and he would be found out. No, Itachi would have known exactly what to do to stay hidden all these years, and the demon would have used that to his advantage, killing and maiming in secret.   
  
Sasuke had always known that at some point the vampire was going to finish what it started all those years ago, he’d promised as much over the broken bodies of their parents. _Get strong, and then come find me. I’ll be waiting._  
  
Sasuke had gotten strong, had devoted his life to taking out vampires just like what his brother had become, but he hadn’t found him yet. Not because he hadn’t been looking, but because the vampire hadn’t wanted to be found. Things appeared to have changed though. Sasuke didn’t know why Itachi had suddenly decided it wanted him, but there was no doubt in Sasuke’s mind that he wouldn’t go back into hiding now. Itachi would know Sasuke was a DPA agent, would realise that it meant that he had gotten him exactly where he wanted him: stuck in the death of his family. Sasuke had never moved on, and the vampire would know that, would know that there was no way Sasuke wouldn’t pursue him until either of them were dead.   
  
He had no leads worth anything after all these years, but he knew where he could find what he needed, knew who could lead him to get the revenge he was determined to get. He stood up from the chair and left the office, knowing that all these years of research was worth nothing.  
  
Heading into the bathroom he stepped out of his pyjama pants and pulled off the loose-fitting t-shirt he had been wearing. The motion pulled at the fresh wound that adorned the back of his shoulder, and his hand moved to it, the pads of his fingers brushing against the crusted blood. The pain was nothing but a dull ache, but flared slightly as his fingers pressed against the torn flesh.   
  
The pain instantly brought back memories of the night before, of Naruto sinking into him, cock and fangs, and it sent a shiver of lust down Sasuke’s back. He had no idea how it could feel to submit to someone like he had done last night when he let Naruto take full control of him, and the memory was enough to send blow flowing to his groin. Naruto had known exactly what he had needed, to stop thinking, to let go, and he had given it to him with all the ferociousness that was Naruto Uzumaki.   
  
Sasuke knew that Naruto didn’t like the fact that he had bitten Sasuke hard enough to leave permanent marks in his shoulder, but as Sasuke’s fingers brushed against the rows of puncture marks he realised that he cherished the idea of forever having Naruto’s mark on him as a reminder not to succumb completely to the darkness. Naruto was not going to let him go, and Sasuke knew that the blond would forever save him from himself.  
  


***

  
Naruto juggled the bags of groceries as he tried to find the right key to unlock the door. He managed just in time to save the tomatoes that threatened to fall out of the bags and hurried inside to deposit the bags in the kitchen. He heard the shower running, and was contemplating joining Sasuke just as it turned off. Too late, dammit.   
  
Naruto still walked towards the bathroom to greet Sasuke, not regretting his decision the slightest when he peeked inside and saw Sasuke standing in front of the mirror, black towel tied around his waist, hanging precariously low on his hips. It put his strong back on display, all the way down to a hint of a swell that Naruto knew was a perfectly shaped ass.   
  
Naruto’s eyes greedily roved over the exposed skin, flawless in its paleness, apart from a couple small birthmarks and the ragged lines that marked the spot Naruto had bit down yesterday. It stood out sharply against the skin, fresh red blood pooling in the shallow indents from where Sasuke had probably scrubbed away old crusts.   
  
Naruto tore his gaze away and allowed it to travel to the mirror where he saw the smoothly defined muscles of Sasuke’s abdomen, and the v of his hipbones that made tantalizing lines to dip behind the edge of his towel. Sasuke was all lithe strength, long smooth muscles made for fast movements and agility rather than brute strength. He was elegant and beautiful, and Naruto could barely keep his hands away from him.  
  
His eyes roved upwards, following the smooth chest to the dip of his collarbone, up the edge of a sharp jawline, soft lips, straight nose to dark eyes that was watching him through a fall of dark hair. Naruto grinned sheepishly when he realised that Sasuke knew exactly what he had been up to, his eyes following his in the mirror.   
  
“Hey,” Naruto said, walking closer and wrapping his arms around Sasuke’s chest, resting his chin on Sasuke’s unharmed shoulder.   
  
“We’re going to work,” Sasuke said as their eyes met in the mirror again.  
  
“You know Kakashi hasn’t cleared you for work yet.”  
  
“We’re not going in to _work_. We’re going in to break into the archives and figure out just what Kakuzu told Kakashi. Then we’re going to find Itachi and kill him.”  
  
The words were calm, and did not open for discussion. Sasuke had clearly made up his mind, and was merely informing him of what was going to happen. Naruto didn’t mind, he was just glad Sasuke actually told him, glad he had been able to imprint it in his thick skull that Naruto wasn’t going anywhere. Sasuke could say that they were going on a trip to find the edge of the world and Naruto would have dropped everything to follow. He knew others would think he was insane to care this much about a man he had only known a few months, a good part which were spent hating each other, but there was something special between them, a bond so deep it felt like it had been there for lifetimes. He figured this was what soulmates was, and he would not abandon the other.  
  
“Sure thing,” he said, kissing the soft skin of Sasuke’s shoulder. Naruto had confessed to Sasuke that he knew about Sasuke’s secret earlier that day, that he knew that his brother had been killed and turned into a vampire who had proceeded to kill their parents, so he wasn’t surprised by Sasuke’s statement. Sasuke hadn't even seemed to care that Naruto had looked into his past rather than asking him, he seemed almost relieved that he wouldn’t need to tell him himself. He must have realised that with what had happened Naruto had picked up most of it already anyways.   
  


***

  
It felt odd to be going into Unit 7s' offices in the middle of the day, when the place was abandoned and the sun was shining in through the tall windows. Where other teams were active during the day, or had alternating shifts between day and night, the vampire unit worked solely during the evening and night, meaning there was still hours until anyone would come in, making the whole breaking in thing surprisingly easy, especially since they had key cards to get into the building, and the receptionist had just nodded in greeting as they came in.   
  
There were several archive rooms down in the basement of the building, but the active cases were kept up in the offices of the unit leaders, making them easily accessible.  
  
Sasuke walked across the bullpen, confident in his strides, appearing like he wasn’t doing something against protocol at all. Naruto couldn’t help himself and kept looking over his shoulder, expecting security guards to come storming in to stop them at any point now, even if nothing could be less suspicious than two agents walking into their own office.   
  
“How are we supposed to get into Kakashi’s office, doesn’t he lock it?” Naruto asked as he almost stumbled over Kiba’s desk, too preoccupied looking behind himself to see where he was walking.   
  
“We’ll figure something out.”  
  
“What, can you pick locks? Because that would be super neat! Or are you going to kick it in?” Naruto bounced on the balls of his feet, picturing Sasuke giving the door a good flying kick.  
  
Sasuke stopped with a foot on the first of the steps leading up to the door they needed to get through. “I figured your skull is thick enough that I could use it to batter it open,” he stated dully before quickly walking up the remaining steps, but not before Naruto caught the slight smile that pulled at his lips.   
  
Naruto sputtered. “My skull isn’t thick!” he hissed in outrage, although he couldn’t quite stop the grin that spread on his face. He liked this Sasuke, the one he could trade insults with and joke around with. The one who had set off a series of pranks in a feeble attempt to drive him away when Naruto first started working here. It was weird how it was such a short time ago, but felt almost like a lifetime. So much had happened since then, and Naruto was glad that old Sasuke was still there, although it was even better now, because he didn’t actually try to drive Naruto away, and he wasn’t as closed off as he had been. This Sasuke here, who balanced between dark and light, who cared but struggled to show emotions, this was the best of the lot, and Naruto would do anything to keep him from going to a dark place again, even if it meant giving up the job he had wanted for years by going off the grid to hunt down the vampire who plagued Sasuke. He really doubted the bosses would appreciate them going off on a private hunt for revenge, but right now he didn't care.  
  
Sasuke ignored him in favour for reaching out and grabbing the doorknob to Kakashi’s office and tried it. The door didn’t move, and Naruto’s hands went to protect his head. He didn’t think Sasuke had really meant what he said, but he wasn’t taking any chances.  
  
“Give me one of the tonfa from Lee’s desk,” Sasuke said, and Naruto jumped down the three steps and headed over to his desk, picking up one of the wooden weapons Lee kept on his desk. He knew Lee had given him a speech about youthfulness and preparedness and something when Naruto asked why had had weapons lying around, but he’d tuned out and not really caught much of it. He liked Lee a lot, but sometimes it was hard to pay attention to his speeches. He got distracted by the eyebrows.  
  
Hurrying back he handed the baton to Sasuke who lifted it and aimed it at the window set in Kakashi’s door, making it very apparent just how he planned on getting in.  
  
“Maa, I hope you are going to tidy that up after yourself.”  
  
Naruto and Sasuke both froze at the sound of Kakashi’s voice. Slowly Naruto turned until he could see their unit leader standing on the other side of the room, wearing a rumpled shirt, his hair even more of a mess than usual. He was cradling a cup of coffee, and looked awful. Had he not gone home from work yet? It was ten am; he should definitely not be in the office right now, the shift ended hours ago.  
  
“Uhm,” Naruto started, but he really had no idea how to continue. It was hard to explain why Sasuke was about to bash in the window set in the door of Kakashi’s window when he was supposed to be recuperating at home, under Naruto’s care.   
  
For a long moment the three just stared at each other, and then Kakashi made a very animated yawn. “What do you know, it appears I got here too early, I should go home and sleep.”  
  
He turned and walked into the middle of the bullpen before he made a show of dropping a set of keys in the middle of the floor.   
  
“Maa, I do wonder where I put my keys. I must have misplaced both the keys to my office and to my car. Too bad, I’d just filled gas and everything,” he muttered loudly and left the room.   
  
Naruto’s face scrunched up in a confused grimace. What. The. Everlasting. Fuck? Was Kakashi high or something?   
  
He was still staring at the doors to the elevator as they closed when Sasuke pushed past him, picked up the keys and unlocked the office door. Naruto hurried after him. “What the hell just happened?” he asked as he saw Sasuke digging through a metal cabinet standing in a corner.  
  
“Kakashi just gave us his blessings to go off on our own.”  
  


***

  
Kakashi chuckled to himself as he entered the elevator. The look on Naruto’s face was priceless. It was rather predictable really. Sasuke understood what Kakashi was telling him immediately, where Naruto was utterly confused.   
  
As a unit leader he was supposed to put the unit before anything else, and make sure none of his unit went off on say… personal vendettas to settle old scores. Kakashi did value teamwork above all else, but he also knew his team members well. He had kind of been expecting Sasuke to show up to get the information they had gotten from Kakuzu’s interrogation, and Kakashi had been very prepared to shove his ass into a holding cell for his troubles, but he had been more than pleasantly surprised when he had seen Uzumaki right by his side, aiding in the break in.   
  
He knew they were in a relationship, however complicated it had been between them, but he also had been prepared for Sasuke to be an idiot and leave Naruto to go off on his own. Naruto had yet again proved that he was exactly what Sasuke needed, stubborn enough not to let Sasuke get away with his shit.   
  
With Naruto by his side Sasuke might just get away from this all with his sanity still intact, his revenge cooled. Killing the vampire that called itself Itachi Uchiha would very possible break Sasuke, but Naruto would be there to put the pieces back together, lending Sasuke a strength the dark-haired and dark-souled man desperately needed to survive.   
  
Kakashi wondered if he should tell Naruto’s father about what was happening. He had gotten the man’s phone number back in the hospital when Naruto had been admitted, but had only talked to him once since, when Iruka had called in desperation because Naruto had been attacked. Kakashi had been looking for an opportunity to talk to the mild-mannered schoolteacher with the slanted brown eyes and alluring scar across his nose again. Yes, he figured it was a good excuse to call. Iruka probably needed someone to talk to as well, about his worries and whatnot.   
  
Kakashi grinned to himself behind his mask as he headed to the subway, leaving his car standing in the parking garage of the DPA.  
  


***

  
Sasuke let the file drop from his hands. Apparently Kakuzu had been quite talkative, and had no qualms about tossing Itachi under the bus. It was all there, black on white. Not only was Itachi back in the states, and had been for the last year, but according to Kakuzu Itachi had told them that he was relocating, and any further meetings regarding the information they gathered on Sasuke Uchiha was to take place at the Uchiha Manor.   
  
Uchiha Manor. Home. Even after all these years there were only one place Sasuke had ever referred to as home. All other places where only where he resided at the times. Home. The manor, splendid in its subtle elegance, residing high above the hometown he hadn’t been to since his life fell apart. Grey brick, white columns, large gardens where Sasuke and Itachi used to play tag. It had been warm and inviting, his mother making dinner in the kitchen, his father in the study, working on some major overtaking of another company, but never too busy to spare a moment away from work when his sons needed it. Sasuke had been happy as a child. It felt... alien to remember. The only glimpse back to that happiness was now, with Naruto. he would never be the kind of careless happy he had experiences as a child, too tainted by the world for that, but Naruto had shown him that he was still capable of feeling some kind of happiness.   
  
Of course Itachi would go home, it would be fitting wouldn't it, for this all to end right where it started? Some twisted irony that would appeal to the dark soul of the demon in Itachi's body. He would love the idea that he could go back to their home, twist it into a dark lair. He had completely obliterated Sasuke’s world there, he would probably find it amusing to go back there, make it even more haunted, to completely destroy Sasuke where he had been crushed once again.   
  
Sasuke still didn’t know what the vampire really wanted with him. If it just wanted to kill him it could have done so long ago. And if it wanted to turn him he could have likewise done so easily. No, the vampire wanted to tear him apart for sport or entertainment. Vampires thrived on pain and torture, and the older the demon the more twisted it was. All his years of research had told Sasuke one thing above all else, the demon that was now living in the shell that had once been his brother was particularly old and particularly twisted. He had to be old to be smart enough to evade capture all these years, and the way he had torn the Uchihas apart, leaving Sasuke alive for the heck of it, just to see him hurt, told him he was a sadistic bastard.   
  
Sasuke wasn’t ready for this. Knew he could never truly be ready. However much he rationalised that Itachi was dead, and what was left was merely his body with the soul of a demon, he knew that the moment he saw him again he would be unable to separate the two.   
  
He glanced up and saw Naruto leaning against Kakashi’s desk, scratching the back of his neck. Sasuke realised what an idiot he had been all these years for thinking he needed to go through this alone. Naruto stood by his side and was the strength that Sasuke needed to overcome the demons of his past.  
  
It appeared that they were going home. Together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *insert witty comment here*


	28. Chapter 28

“Maa, they’ll be fine,” Kakashi drawled as he propped his feet up on his coffee table, slouching down into the couch pillows, phone held to his ear. The voice on the other end didn’t sound too reassured judging by the note of panic in it.  
  
“Naruto and Sasuke are very capable agents, they can do this,” Kakashi continued as he pulled off the mask across his face, glad to be breathing in fresh air rather than through fabric. He rubbed across his chin, nails scratching lightly across stubble.  
  
“Yes, I am aware of the fact that sending two agents into a completely unknown situation hours away from backup isn’t completely according to protocol,” he had to admit when Iruka raised his voice, sounding angry with him. Kakashi wasn’t sure if he liked it or not. He wanted the other to like him, but the way his voice went all high when he was annoyed was quite adorable.  
  
His stomach made a familiar clench to indicate that it was time to get some sustenance in him soon, but Kakashi ignored it for now. He wanted to talk more before he fixed his midnight snack.  
  
“I have the utmost faith in them, but I will be on top of the situation. Any sign that things aren’t going according to plan I will send the rest of the unit in. It’s important that Sasuke and Naruto get a chance to deal with this themselves.”  
  
“Why? Oh, just because.” He figured that it was a good thing to be vague right now. _Oh, it’s Sasuke’s brother. Well, it was his brother, before he was killed and a demon took over his body and killed his parents before vowing to kill him too,_ was probably not going to reassure Iruka at all.  
  
“Anyway, how are you doing?” he asked, shifting the conversation to a much more pleasurable track. He wanted to know more about Iruka, and he had hours to go before he had to be back at work in time for the night shift. He made himself comfortable on the couch as he listened to Iruka’s voice with eyes closed, bringing up the memory of the school teacher in his mind, grinning lecherously as that image suddenly was wearing a lot less clothes than he had when he met him.  


***

  
Sasuke’s shoes slid on the asphalt, but he righted himself as he turned a corner and pounded down the stretch of street in front of him. He heard the sound of thundering footsteps behind him, and hoped dearly that one of those sets belonged to Naruto, because he better get away long enough for Sasuke to kick his ass later on.  
  
A flash of blond in his peripheral vision told him Naruto had caught up to him. Sasuke grit his teeth together and upped his speed. The footsteps behind them were still there, they had been too close for them to have lost them yet, particularly since they’d found themselves stuck behind a locked door they needed to kick down, giving the herd behind them ample time to catch up.  
  
“We were only going to stop for dinner,” he hissed at Naruto. “Not to run away from vampire wannabes.”  
  
“Not my fault,” Naruto shot back lightly, as if he wasn’t all that worried about the group of people following them.  
  
Sasuke was used to dealing with vampires, and wasn’t the type to run away from a fight, but a dozen men with knives and bats and other various weapons up against two agents armed with a single throwing knife between them were terrible odds. Particularly since the fact that these were men—and not the vampires they were usually up against—meant they should be detained, and not just executed. Fuck. This was not how this evening was supposed to have gone.  
  
They had been driving for hours, and only stopped in this town because Naruto’s stomach had started to growl loud enough to be heard over the sound of the car radio. Sasuke figured they might as well stop in the small city they were coming upon, seeing how it was past midnight.   
  
Things had gone perfectly according to plan. Find a gas station and fill up the tank. Go to the nearest diner and eat a disgustingly greasy meal. It was when they were about to leave said diner to find somewhere to spend the night that everything had veered directly off the path.   
  
When the hobo burst into the diner and yelled about how he'd seen a vampire Sasuke had every intention of ignoring it and move on. Chances were that he was drunk and delirious, but Sasuke forgot who had had brought along on this trip. Naruto was not about to let it go, and insisted that they hunt down the vampire. The nearest DPA units would be hours away, back home, so if it really was a vampire then of course they would have to take care of it.   
  
Sasuke knew there was no arguing, so he just trailed along after the hobo and Naruto as the first gesticulated and the latter nodded eagerly.   
  
Knowing that the chances that there was a vampire was slim to none Sasuke didn't bother backtracking to the car parked a few blocks off, but just grabbed one of the throwing knives Naruto had stashed in a sheath in his pocket. How the other managed not to slice his dick off was still a mystery to him.   
  
He much preferred his katana, but if there by the off chance _should_ be a vampire the knife would be enough when there were two of them. Naruto had already proved that he was more than capable with the small blades, and Sasuke wasn't all that bad either.   
  
Sasuke had to admit that he was surprised when he saw the flash of red and had to admit that the hobo apparently had seen a vampire. A vampire that was now sneering at them from its place in the middle of the damp basement the hobo had pointed them towards.   
  
The fight was short, and moments later the vampire was ashing out, the handle of their knives sticking from a forehead and a chest. Sasuke should have realised that it was too easy.  
  
They'd been about to leave when it was apparent that the vampire was well and truly executed, but then voices had gotten their attention.   
  
Now, it wasn't completely uncommon for vampires to stock up on their food. Lock up a few victims in, say, a damp and dark basement of an abandoned building, just so they'd have something to eat if they got stuck inside for a couple of days. So Sasuke hadn't been surprised to find the group of people with fang marks decorating their arms.   
  
What had been surprising was the fact that when they realised Naruto and Sasuke had killed the vampire they became pissed off. Here they'd been expecting gratitude, but all they got were angry voices. Okay, so maybe the fact that the dozen or so men, college kids by the look of it, were lounging around playing cards rather than hang limply from chains suspended from the ceiling should have alerted them to the fact that these weren’t the usual vampire victims. Sasuke realised this the moment Naruto's broken rendition of Here I Come to Save the Day trailed off as he noticed the men looking not quite captured.  
  
“What the fuck are you all doing here?” Naruto plumped out. “You do know there was a vampire out here right? We just killed it!”  
  
If Naruto had been expecting the group of men to break out into happy exclamations upon their rescue he was sorely mistaken. From what Sasuke could catch as the men jumped to their feet and started screaming, they were here by choice. Of course. Fucking idiots thought they’d live forever if the vampire only turned them, so they stayed here, willing blood donors, while the demon had a blast, not having to hunt at all.  
  
How people still managed to be uneducated enough to think that the old myths still applied Sasuke had no idea. You only came back a vampire as a husk of yourself, your soul kicked out of its home for its new demon inhabitant. You were dead, only your body hadn’t quite caught up to it yet. No amount of memory retained in your brain made up for that fact that your soul, what was really you, was gone. Fucking idiots deserved to die the lot of them.   
  
Armed with nothing but their fists as their knives were now buried inside the dead body they'd left behind, they had little choice but to run. Not only were they about six times as many as them, but they pulled out both knives and bats, and Sasuke wasn't an idiot. They wouldn't be able to stop these without either dying themselves, or killing several of them. The DPA prided themselves on only having execution orders on the truly evil beings, mostly meaning vampires, and no matter how evil some humans could be the DPA still only handed them over to the government to lock them up in penitentiaries until they realised that they'd been wrong and repented. Or until they rotted up in their cells. Either one.   
  
So they ran. Making their way through the basement and up to street level they’d banged into a locked door, and when they finally broke through had exited into a dingy alley. The men were hot on their tail as they took off, bringing them right up to the moment of Sasuke telling Naruto all about how this had not been his plan for the night.  
  
They were supposed to go back to his hometown as soon as possible to get rid of the demons of Sasuke’s past, not to get mixed up in a group of idiots wanting to play vampire. Why they were so insistent on actually killing them for executing their pet vampire he had no idea, but he wasn’t about to stop and ask. They needed to get away and call for back up. The local police could deal with these guys just fine without them.  
  
Realising that they weren’t too far away from where they’d parked their car Sasuke scanned the area, annoyed with the lack of lights in the window. If no one saw what was happening, no one would report on it to the authorities. If only they could get a bit more of a head start he could get his phone and call it in himself, but of course they were stuck with the former athletes turned vampire wannabes, because there were still a horde of them on their tail.  
  
Making a sharp turn Naruto and Sasuke spun into an alley, hoping it would lead to a new street with more possibilities to get away.  
  
They froze at the same time as they noticed the brick wall in front of them. Not an alley leading to an adjacent street then, but a dead end. Wonderful.  
  
They turned around, and saw the group of men gathering in the opening of the alley, blocking off their only way out. Sasuke counted seven heads, so apparently they had lost a few on their way. He liked those odds better, although he would have much preferred to have avoided a fight altogether.  
  
One of the men pushed past the others, taking up the lead. Typical alpha dog, strong and stupid. He was taller and wider than Sasuke, but Sasuke knew he could take him, easy. It appeared they would have to fight their way out, unless they could make them see reason.  
  
Two minutes later it was apparent that reason was not in these men’s vocabulary. They’d made it glaringly obvious that they did not appreciate Sasuke and Naruto killing the only vampire they had ever seen in their city, leaving them without a way to get the immortality and strength they were searching for. Unfortunately they weren’t stupid enough to not realise the repercussions of what they had been doing. Harbouring a vampire was illegal, and it wouldn’t surprise Sasuke in the slightest if the police dug deeper they would find a slew of other crime to tag onto these guys. Probably some bodies buried down in the basement. Keeping a vampire as a pet would most likely have led to some fatalities, so he wouldn't be surprised if there had been more than a dozen of them at some point.  
  
So now the guys had obviously decided that the only way to both get away and get revenge was to kill Naruto and Sasuke. Just what they needed.   
  
Falling into a defensive pose he saw Naruto do the same to his side. Their eyes met for a moment. “We stop them or get away,” Sasuke said, and Naruto nodded. If they found themselves overwhelmed there was no reason not to try and look for a way out instead.   
  
It became apparent the other men had been spending lots of time with the vampire they’d… befriended. Their punches were hard and their feet fast. Obviously they had tasted the vampire’s blood, because they were just a little bit past human. It was a little known fact that humans who ingested vampire blood regularly could gain some of the attributes of the vampire, mainly strength and speed. The DPA kept the knowledge under tight lids, because if it became known there were certain groups that would use that very much to their advantage, making vampires just to keep their blood on stock.   
  
Naruto and Sasuke were highly trained though, and they did a good enough job of fending off the men. Naruto was stronger, and Sasuke was smarter. Soon seven had turned to five as two of them were lying slumped on the ground, unconscious. Sasuke’s jaws were set in a look of determination as he dodged a knife that swiped at his face and twisted his body around, foot lifted high; slamming into the chest of the man who’d tried to carve a path through his face. The man was slammed into the wall face first, his nose giving a delightful crunching noise as it broke.  
  
Sasuke spun around to find his next target when he felt cool metal press against his temple. It was hard to mistake the feel of a gun and he froze as he realised that he might be good, but not even he could dodge a bullet fired directly at his temple. _Shit._  
  
“Don’t move,” a voice said next to him, and he obeyed, knowing he had to find some way to get out of this situation.   
  
His eyes darted to where Naruto had been standing a moment earlier. Naruto wasn’t kicking ass anymore. He was hunched slightly over, his arms lifted to protect his torso from the punches, and his body dodging swipes of blades, but not doing anything to actually stop the three guys that were surrounding him. Why wasn’t he doing anything, why was he just standing there, taking a beating like that? Sasuke knew Naruto was a better fighter than that.  
  
“Fight, dammit!” Sasuke yelled before finding the gun pressed harder against his temple, telling him to shut up in not so many words.   
  
Sasuke needed to help him, but if he started after him now he was most likely going to end up with his brains splattered over the wall, and that wouldn’t help Naruto at all. He needed to find a plan, needed to do something.  
  
A kick to his shin sent Naruto staggering to the ground, and then that same leg drew back, aiming for Naruto's gut. _Why wouldn’t Naruto fight back, why would he just let these guys do this to him, what was wrong, what—_  
  
A flare of red suddenly shimmered in the middle of the fray, pulsating around Naruto. His eyes bled to red as a foot slammed into his abdomen hard, tearing a scream out of Naruto. The guys seemed to notice the change though, growing hesitant.  
  
"He’s a shifter, dumbasses, kill him before he can go all werewolf on you," the one incapacitating Sasuke called out. His underlings seemed to get the message, feet drawing back to kick at Naruto's body. The man standing by Naruto's head aimed his foot directly at his face in a way that Sasuke knew could be possibly deadly. He forgot all about the gun to his head, lurching forward just in time to see a now clawed hand shoot up, grab the foot mid kick and squeeze. There was a crunching sound, then a scream, and the man fell to the ground, clutching his crushed foot. Sasuke's eyes widened at the sheer power that Naruto obviously sported now, even before he was still fully shifted. He still looked like Naruto, only with fangs and claws, eyes red, and a shimmer around him. However, even as he watched Naruto shifted further. His face contorted, nose scrunching up in a deepening sneer, lips peeling back from fangs that were growing sharp and deadly. The red shimmer around him made it seem like he was on fire, and now the other attackers seemed to lose their bravado completely, backing away, terror bleeding into their eyes.  
  
Sasuke heard a cocking noise, and suddenly remembered the man with the gun, a gun that was now trained on his lover. Sasuke exploded into action, hand flying up to divert the shot. He was just in time, the bullet flying over Naruto's head. He followed the motion by sending an elbow flying into the man's abdomen, knocking the air out of him. The man doubled over, and Sasuke sent an unforgiving hand into the man's windpipe. The man groped his neck as he wheezed, falling to his knees on the asphalt.  
  
Forgetting all about him, those that were running for their lives and the ones already on the ground, Sasuke rushed towards Naruto, dropping to his knees in front of him.  
  
Naruto sneered at him, as if he didn’t recognise him at all. He looked feral, well into a shift that was twisting his body into that of an animal. He still looked mostly human, apart from the way his face was twisting into something that looked like the beginnings of a muzzle, the skin stretching tight across a widening bridge. Deep furrows dug into his forehead as it tightened into a frown, strengthening his feral looks.   
  
He screamed in pain as his back was thrown into a sharp arch. It sounded like every bone in it was breaking and realigning, and he trashed wildly, his claws digging furrows into the asphalt.   
  
Through the red shimmer Sasuke saw the marks the men had left on Naruto. His lip had split deeply, and a ragged cut trailed across a cheek. He was sure that if the red air around him wasn't twisting the colours he would have seen a mass of discolorations blossoming on that skin as well. He cursed himself for not being able to protect Naruto against some measly human bullies. If only he could have stopped them then maybe Naruto wouldn't have been pushed into shifting. Sasuke's hands fisted uselessly at his side.  
  
Naruto was tearing chunks of asphalt clean off the ground at this point, his body twisting as if racked by pain, as if the transformation was burning through him, setting him on fire. Heat wafted off him, making it even more like he was aflame. Sasuke had no idea what was happening or how he could help. This was nothing like the book; this was nothing like how other shifters turned. This was vicious and raw and intense.  
  
It was like this wasn’t Naruto at all anymore, like there was something else taking over his body, something fierce and powerful and primal. Sasuke knew Naruto had fought hard not to turn before, knew he desperately didn’t want to; that he feared what would happen. Desperate to help Sasuke curled his hands around Naruto's face, locking eyes with the fiery red ones glaring back. There was no recollection in those eyes, but Sasuke kept their gaze steady. Underneath the pads of his fingers he felt how the cartilage of Naruto's ears was pulsating under his fingers as they stretched into points, furthering the shift into animal.  
  
"Naruto," he pleaded, "Come back to me. You can fight this; I know you are strong enough."  
  
A violent shudder racked Naruto's body, a snarl ripping from his mouth as his jaws cracked and he snapped at the air.  
  
"Naruto," Sasuke said again. "I need you to come back to me now."  
  
Another violent shudder and snap of a jaw, and then Sasuke felt it, the heat diminishing, the fiery red aura slowly fading away. Claws curling back into fingers, fangs into teeth, and then finally he was looking into the beautiful blue eyes of his lover. Wrapping his arms around him he held him close, feeling Naruto's body shake, silent sobs ripping through him.  
  
They sat there for several minutes, in the dirty alley, surrounded by garbage and unconscious bodies, Sasuke holding Naruto as he slowly got control of himself again.   
  
The next morning, after Sasuke and Naruto was long gone and the police had hauled away the bodies of the men, the only thing that was left behind was a scorched patch of asphalt.  
  


***

  
Pulling into a motel hours away, wanting to be as far away from that city as possible Sasuke stopped the car and turned around in his seat. Naruto was lying in the backseat. He had fallen asleep almost immediately after Sasuke placed him there, which Sasuke figured was a good thing. The transformation seemed to take a lot of his energy, leaving him weak and vulnerable afterwards, so he was glad he could get some sleep while Sasuke drove.  
  
Sasuke's hands ached, both from clutching the steering wheel tightly, and from when he touched Naruto's skin. He hadn’t just been warm, he had been scorching, leaving the palms of Sasuke's hands lightly burned. Nothing some cold water wouldn’t heal, but still. The energy that had burned off of Naruto had been intense. Not an ordinary fever, but something that would have killed anyone else.  
  
He reluctantly left Naruto in the car as he went to the office, procuring a room for them and getting a key. Naruto was still sleeping when he got back so Sasuke gently eased him out of the car, carrying him into the room, struggling with the load. Naruto was a bit heavier than him, but he managed and gently placed him on the bed, tucking him in before going out to the car to get their weapons. He was not going anywhere without them ever again.  
  
Creeping up on the bed next to Naruto he curled his arms around him possessively and fell asleep, his body utterly exhausted.  


***

  
Naruto woke the next morning, rolling out of bed the moment he stirred awake, his bladder not wanting to wait a moment longer before finding a bathroom. He stumbled on a bag placed on the floor, and then into a chair that he knew had never been standing next to his bed before. Frowning he rubbed his eyes and looked around, noting that they were no longer in his apartment. His brain finally made the connection, memories of last night flooding him in an awful tsunami of not very pleasant memories.  
  
He cast a glance at the bed, noted that Sasuke was there, looking relatively unhurt, and headed to the bathroom. His bladder didn’t care he was having problems dealing with the memories, it needed to go, pronto.  
  
He remembered the fight vividly, remembered the blows and kicks, remembered the way the beast had flared to life inside him, furious at the beating Naruto was receiving, anger growing as Naruto did nothing to stop the fight. There had been no way for Naruto to stop the beast, and soon heat was filling his limbs, ripping through him like a fire, out of control.   
  
When he got back out of the bathroom he saw Sasuke sitting up in bed, leaning back against the headboard, arms crossed in front of him. When Naruto met his eyes he was surprised to be met with a look of worry.  
  
Crawling back into bed, taking a position next to Sasuke, Naruto leaned back against the headboard as well, closing his eyes for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts and sort through the memories of the evening before. Parts of it was a little blurry, the memories feeling disorganized in his brain.  
  
"Why didn’t you fight back?" Sasuke asked suddenly.  
  
Naruto thought about the question, trying to find the words to explain himself.  
  
"Because they were human," he ended up with.  
  
"And that gives them the right to beat you up?"  
  
"No, but it means I don’t want to hurt them."  
  
"How did you figure we were going to get out there without hurting them?" Sasuke bit out.  
  
Naruto sighed. "It's not that I don't think they didn't deserved to be knocked out cold, but I just… felt like it would be so easy to just stop them completely. Like, if I killed them then the fight would be over, and I didn't want that. I don't think that was my thoughts, I think it was _his._ " He didn't feel like he had to tell who _him_ was in this case. Sometimes it was hard to differentiate between his own thoughts and those of the beast within, but he didn't want to be this person who could kill so easily.  
  
"How can you be afraid of maybe killing some useless vampire wannabes?" Sasuke asked, his voice cold.  
  
"They were stupid and ignorant, but not evil. I… have to believe there is something good in all humans or the world just… seems too dark. We are already fighting something that is truly evil; I want to believe that the rest of the world isn’t such a bad place."  
  
Sasuke sighed. "Those guys weren’t good, they were scum."  
  
"They might have families at home that love them, mothers, fathers, siblings... Just because they treat me like shit doesn’t mean they are bad through and through. If that was true then…"  
  
Memories of his childhood flooded his brain. The torment he had suffered, the hatred directed towards him, all the times he had been ostracized and hit and spat on. If all those people were evil the world would be doomed. They were ignorant, acting out of fear when faced with the unknown, but not evil. Naruto knew for a fact that some of the people that had treated him like shit were upstanding citizens. People who gave money to cancer research, who volunteered at soup kitchens, who loved their families and friends.  
  
Sasuke didn’t say anything for the longest time before his hand suddenly met Naruto's, their finger's intertwining as he squeezed Naruto's hand reassuringly, seeing the hurt he knew would be showing on his face. Naruto never had been good at hiding his emotions.  
  
"You are too good for this world, Naruto. Too good for me," Sasuke said, sounding so sincere it twisted Naruto's heart a little. Naruto wasn’t too good for anything, he just clung to the hope that most people were good because anything else would be too painful to think about.  
  
"I don’t understand how you can still have such high spirits after everything that has happened. You are so happy all the time. My life turned to shit and I grew into a miserable bastard, where you bubbled into the amazing man you are."  
  
Naruto blushed at the praise coming from the normally so close-lipped Sasuke. Sasuke didn’t talk much, and he definitely didn’t throw around empty compliments.  
  
A small smile lifted the corner of Naruto's lips. He never did manage to keep smiles off his face for long. "Maybe that's why we go so well together, we complete each other. You are the strong, stoic darkness, and I'm that annoying ray of sunlight that peeks through the curtains when you want to sleep?"  
  
Sasuke chuckled. "Maybe so."  
  
Sasuke tugged at Naruto's hand until Naruto rested his head on his shoulder. "I still don’t understand how you managed not to shift. It seems like it’s a struggle."  
  
Naruto hesitated for a moment.  
  
"It… it feels like it's getting harder not to shift now. I got very close to losing control completely yesterday. The beast is agitated. I can feel him inside in a way I never did before. It's like he's slowly waking from some slumber. Ever since Las Vegas. Or maybe even before then too. The beast, he scares me. I am afraid he will consume me completely if I let go, he's so strong. I barely managed to keep him under control tonight.  
  
"It's not just because he's strong though, it's because he's… alluring. I feel this power surging through me that I've never felt before, and it's intoxicating. I feel like I can do anything if I just let him take charge. It's like a fire within, and it hurts but it feels so good as well."  
  
Naruto lifted a thumb to his mouth, chewing on the nail. It felt odd confessing these feelings he always hid away because he didn’t want people to be afraid. He had always felt this beast inside of him, his shifter side like a separate entity that wanted to control him so badly. It had been faint when he was younger, growing slightly when he hit puberty. It was as if the ropes that held the beast in check was fraying, strand by strand, and Naruto feared that at some point they would snap completely and he would lose himself to it, would become the beast. He had felt that today, felt how hard it was to find himself when the beast managed to latch on to some of his control.  
  
"I am here to help you if anything happens."  
  
"Think you can deal with a crazed werefox on the loose?" Naruto said jokingly, wanting to relieve some of the tension.  
  
"I'll get some horse tranquilizer; one dart in your perky little ass will take you right down."  
  
Naruto snorted. It felt good to know that he had Sasuke with him. It felt like he could deal with anything as long as he had Sasuke. His voice had helped him pull back the control of his body yesterday, he knew that, knew that without Sasuke pleading for him to come back to him he might just have forgotten himself, caught up in the intense power of the beast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is so late. I have so many excuses it's not even funny. (Writing the sequel to Partners for Camp Nanowrimo, trying to learn how to draw, sewing on my Iruka cosplay and actually going to work being the main ones. XD) But yah, here it is, hope you enjoyed! <3


	29. Chapter 29

Ten hours into their trip on day three finally brought them into Sasuke's home state. They still had a couple of hours of travel ahead before they got to his city, but Naruto could see Sasuke grow a little paler at the sign welcoming them home to the state he had grown up in, but apparently never gone back to since leaving it.  
  
"Want me to take the wheel?" Naruto asked calmly. Dark eyes snapped to him for a moment, pulled out of the spiral of memories Naruto could see Sasuke had started to fall into. He hesitated a moment before shaking his head. Naruto figured it was best not to press the issue. Sasuke had steadily gotten more shut off as the day progressed, and Naruto knew there was little he could do to stop that. Sasuke was finally coming head to head against the literal demon of his past, and all Naruto could do was to stand firm by his side and help him through this.  
  
Smothering a yawn he leaned his head against the cool window, staring blankly into the sunset colouring the sky a brilliant splash of red, finding the fiery look slightly unsettling. He clenched his eyes shut for a moment, willing away the unease that seemed to have settled over him. He needed to be strong for Sasuke, but the encounter their first day of travelling had created a ball of worry deep in his gut.   
  
Even now he could feel his beast stirring inside, an angry force wanting to be free. He had struggled so hard to contain it during the fight with the vampire followers, to the point of forgoing protecting himself altogether in fear of any aggressive moves on his part stirring it into action. It had all been futile the moment Sasuke had been threatened. The fear that washed through him as he saw Sasuke with the barrel of a gun pressed to his temple had torn all control out of his hands and he could only follow the motions as the beast pulled free of its leash.  
  
Nails digging into the fleshy part of his palm pulled him out of the bad memories of blood and violence with a slight shudder. He couldn’t allow himself to wallow in his own misery; he needed to be strong for Sasuke, needed to be a rock for him to cling to in the storm that was the final showdown between Sasuke and the demon that called itself his brother. He drew in a shuddering breath and hoped Sasuke didn’t notice his inner turmoil.   
  
The city spread before them, a smattering of high-rises surrounded by progressively smaller buildings before trickling away to suburbs. The highway cut across the landscape in a straight line, leading them directly towards the heart of the city. To the untrained eye Sasuke would look completely unaffected by their arrival, but Naruto saw the way his fingers tightened around the steering wheel, the joints whitening.   
  
Naruto wanted to lean closer, offer up any kind of comfort he could, but he knew Sasuke wouldn't accept it, not now. He was too tense, too on edge. It took everything Naruto had to give him space and shut his mouth, but he did. Iruka would have been so proud of him.   
  
Sasuke didn’t say anything as they drove through city streets, so Naruto just kept staring out the windshield, seeing unfamiliar street names pass them by. They finally stopped when Sasuke pulled into a parking garage belonging to a hotel. Obviously he was sick and tired of the shoddy motels they had been staying in, and Naruto didn’t blame him.   
  
The hotel room was all dark wood and muted colours, and Naruto dearly hoped Sasuke would foot the bill when they left, because no way was he going to afford a place like this. They’d ordered the room for an unspecified number of nights, and it only cemented the fact that they had no idea what they were getting themselves into. They had no idea when they were going home, or if they were going home at all.   
  
Naruto took in the view of the city while Sasuke diligently went through their luggage, placing weapons within reach of the bed and making sure they were fully stocked on ammo. When he finished the task he ended up standing in the middle of the room, staring at the floor, hands fisted at his side. He looked like he was on the verge of a major breakdown, the situation dawning on him. He was home, close to the place his life had been torn away from him as a child, ready to face the same horror all over again. Sasuke had a tight rein on his emotions as always, but Naruto knew that beneath that blank surface there would be a tempest of emotions.  
  
Naruto left the view and headed over, wrapping his strong arms around Sasuke, pulling him close to him, showing him that no matter what happened he wasn’t going into this alone. Naruto was with him every step of the way.  
  
"Come," Naruto said, gently pulling Sasuke after him into the bathroom. He had hoped it would have a shower big enough for the two of them, but was surprised to see a huge tub taking up a corner. He pushed at Sasuke so he sat down on the toilet while he walked over, turning on the tabs. The tub would be big enough for the both of them, and after the long drive they could both need a wash, not to mention that he thought Sasuke needed comfort more than anything just now, even if he was too stubborn to ever voice those needs. Naruto wouldn’t let that stop him though, he was stubborn, had been told so enough times.  
  
Sasuke seemed to be slipping into a mood, his eyes vacant. Naruto hated seeing him like this, wanted the Sasuke he had slowly managed to find underneath that well-maintained exterior, needing him  
  
Leaning down he untied Sasuke's shoes, pulling them off alongside his socks. He gently kneaded the pads of his foot, thumb digging into the soft flesh. He was rewarded with Sasuke closing his eyes, leaning back, a soft sigh escaping his mouth. His lover was tense, and Naruto needed to fix that. Needed to distract him and make him forget, if only for a moment.  
  
Moving up he unbuttoned the shirt Sasuke was wearing, pulling it off him and dropping it to the floor. He ghosted kisses down Sasuke's shoulders before his hands trailed down a toned chest to pop open the buttons of his chinos, slowly pulling down the zipper.  
  
He pulled Sasuke to his feet, the pants falling down to pool around his feet, leaving Sasuke only in his tight boxer briefs. He was still soft beneath the cotton, but Naruto had every intention of fixing that, later. Hooking his fingers in the waistband he pulled the boxers down, Sasuke helping in kicking it away, leaving him gloriously naked. Naruto took a moment to watch in amazement at the perfection in front of him, yet again wondering how he had managed to make this god of a man his.  
  
Unceremoniously he pulled off his own clothes, and then they walked towards the tub. Naruto helped Sasuke get in before sliding in behind him, pulling Sasuke's back against his chest, wrapping arms and legs around his flawless body.  
  
Sasuke relaxed in the warm water, his head leaning back against Naruto's shoulders, eyes closed.  
  
For a while they just laid like this, close together, finding solace in each other's bodies, Naruto's hands lazily tracing nonsensical patterns against Sasuke's smooth skin. Some of the tension in Sasuke's body seemed to seep out of him, leaving him calm as he relaxed against Naruto.  
  
Brushing his lips against Sasuke's ear Naruto gently whispered. "I love you." It felt so natural to say. He truly did love Sasuke, loved him like he hadn’t loved anyone before, loved him enough to be ready to sacrifice everything for the man he was embracing. Loved him for his strength, his weakness, his soul and his mind. Loved him for allowing him to glimpse the true Sasuke no one else had seen. Loved him for loving him back.  
  
Sasuke turned his head, dark eyes meeting Naruto's. Naruto knew Sasuke wouldn’t be ready to say the words, and he really didn’t care, because he saw the words clearly in Sasuke's eyes. He knew Sasuke cared about him in a way Sasuke never cared about anyone, knew Sasuke would put his life on the line to save Naruto, knew he needed Naruto just as Naruto needed him.  
  
Even if he couldn’t say the words yet Sasuke seemed determined to show Naruto how he felt. His soft lips searched out Naruto's, claiming them in a lazy kiss as he slowly rotated in Naruto's embrace until they were chest to chest. He wrapped his arms around Naruto to hold him up from the water, deepening the kiss. There was no hurry, just a slow build-up of emotions expressed through a kiss.  
  
Naruto brushed Sasuke's bangs out of his face, wanting to see more of him. Apart from that one time when they went out Sasuke had stuck to his old hair do, bangs framing his face and a controlled mess of spikes rising from the back of his head. Not that Naruto minded, Sasuke could pull off any look, and this was how he had gotten used to seeing the man anyways.  
  
Leaning in they pressed against each other harder, kiss steadily growing more passionate, bodies sliding against each other in the water, warm and soft. Naruto's hands travelled down Sasuke's back, pushing into the muscles as he went, finally getting his hands full of Sasuke's perfect ass. Using his grip on the firm flesh he pulled Sasuke close, their groins pressing against each other, erections steadily growing harder.  
  
They let the water steer their movements, the gentle flow bringing them brushing up against each other before sliding away again. It wasn’t enough though; Naruto could see it in the way Sasuke was frowning. Sasuke needed to forget himself completely, needed to stop thinking for a moment, and Naruto knew just how to do that.  
  
The tub was surrounded by an edge just wide enough for Sasuke to sit on; the tiled wall behind him a support for his back. Naruto gently moved his lover into position, lifting him up out of the water and depositing him on the edge. His legs were still mostly in the water, but from his thighs and up he was free for Naruto to do what he wanted without drowning.  
  
The cooler air from the room hardened Sasuke's nipples to small pebbles that Naruto's tongue were quick to lick at, running along the hard flesh, encircling it, lips nibbling on it. Sasuke moaned under Naruto's ministrations, his hands flying to Naruto's hard, burying themselves in the wet locks.  
  
Naruto moved lower, his tongue tracing across a hard abdomen, licking up the water droplets that adorned the pale skin, dipping into the belly button before moving down to a prominent hipbone, leaving a love bite there, harshly red against the white of Sasuke's skin, a mark of just who Sasuke belonged to.  
  
Sasuke's cock was rock hard by now, pushing up from the short black curls surrounding it, precum dripping from the slit.  
  
"Naruto, please," Sasuke moaned above him when Naruto leaned in just close enough for his breath to fan over the sensitive skin, but not touch.  
  
To have Sasuke beg, that just broke all of Naruto's ideas of any more teasing. He wrapped his lips firmly around the head of Sasuke's cock and in one smooth motion took it all in his mouth. He had to fight down his gag reflex, but soon his lips brushed black curls and the head of Sasuke's cock pushed against his throat, making him swallow around it. Only a firm grip on Sasuke's hips seemed to stop the raven from soaring off the edge, thrusting hard into Naruto's mouth.  
  
Adding suction Naruto slowly pulled back until only the throbbing head was still in his mouth. He swirled his tongue against it, pressing against the slit, sucking up the precum that pearled at it, teasing the spot underneath where head met shaft.  
  
The hands in his hair tightened their hold as Sasuke’s breathing grew ragged. Naruto didn’t think it would take him long to make Sasuke break apart. He worked up some spit and slowly took Sasuke's hard length into his mouth again, starting a slow up and down motion, his tongue teasing the warm flesh as his head bobbed.  
  
His own cock was demanding attention, not content to Naruto just sucking off Sasuke. Moving one hand from Sasuke's hip he curled it around his erection, feeling it twitch against his palm.  
  
Sasuke was panting now, his hips twitching as he got closer to his orgasm. Naruto took him deep, swallowed around the head and hummed a little, knowing how the vibrations could feel, and just as he started to pull back he felt the fingers in his hair pull hard, and then bitter liquid was filling his mouth, Sasuke moaning out his orgasm, hips pushing up, forcing his cock deeper in Naruto's mouth. The force of it hurt just enough for a few tears to escape Naruto's eyes, but not enough to diminish the orgasm that soared through him at the taste and feel of Sasuke coming in his mouth. He came hard, white ropes of cum hitting the side of the tub to run into the water as his hand moved fast, pulling him through his orgasm.  
  
Swallowing the mouthful of cum he slowly pulled back from Sasuke's softening cock, placing a quick kiss on the tip before grinning up at his lover, loving the flush that had crept to Sasuke's cheeks.  
  
Pulling him back into the water he threw his arms around him, and lazily they kissed as the water slowly cooled.  


***

  
Early next morning Naruto was sitting on the bed, meticulously cleaning his gun and going through his stock of bullets, deciding which to load it up with. Expanding bullets were good for putting big holes in all kinds of creatures, but silver nitrate filled ones were better for vampires. They were going in for recon firstly, but both of them knew there was a chance they’d be pulled into a fight before they were ready, so it was better to prepare for anything. Problem was that they had no idea what they were preparing for. Itachi was a vampire, but the chance of him just sitting all alone waiting for them was slim to none. To have stayed alive and under the radar for so long he would most likely not be working alone. Hidan and Kakuzu was testament to just that.  
  
Naruto'd eaten a large breakfast of eggs and bacon while Sasuke nibbled on a dry piece of toast earlier, and he was starting to regret his choice. He was feeling mildly queasy by now. Not because they were going into a potential fight with a vampire today, but because this could make or break Sasuke. Even if they managed to get out alive it would mean that they had managed to kill Itachi. And no matter how much reason would dictate that Itachi actually died years ago it would be hard for Sasuke to separate the brother he knew from the demon in front of him. Naruto had seen and read about that enough times during training. The human mind had a hard time keeping the memory of a person and the knowledge of what the vampire truly was apart.   
  
Naruto looked up from his gun towards where Sasuke was sitting at the desk across the room. Papers were overflowing the surface, Sasuke going through what he had of notes to create something resembling a plan of attack. He had barely looked up at all for the last few hours, his shoulders tense and back hunched.   
  
Sasuke had slept fitfully all night, tossing and turning. Naruto was sure he wouldn't have fallen asleep at all if it hadn’t been for their bath together. The warm water and blowjob on top of days of hardly getting any sleep had exhausted Sasuke to the point where he had fallen asleep almost immediately as they crawled in under the soft sheets.   
  
Worry gnawed at him, but Naruto tried to ignore it, knowing it was little he could do about it now.  
  
Instead he pulled out his phone, finally remembering that it had ran out of juice the first night, and he had kept forgetting to charge it. Plugging it in now the messages soon started trickling in. The first he saw was a missed call from Iruka. Kakashi must have talked to him, because otherwise there would’ve been a lot more of those. Five new text messages--Naruto had never had a lot of friends to text so the small number wasn't all the surprising.  
  
He opened up the messages and saw three from Kiba, one from Kakashi, and surprisingly enough one from Lee.   
  
Kiba’s were short; the first one sent a while before the next two. Naruto would guess Kakashi had informed the team of just where they were between the first two messages.   
  
_-Where r u guys?  
  
-You asshole im gonna kill u when u get back.  
  
-U two better come back_  
  
Kakashi’s just stated that everyone had been informed and that the general consensus was that they were idiots, and was in for a beating when they got back. Naruto had a sneaking suspicion Sakura would be the one to administer that beating. He’d thought she was a sweet girl when he first met her, but then he’d seen her temper, and that image was quickly shattered.  
  
Lee's was the surprising one. Naruto hadn’t thought one could get tired reading a message, but the all caps, full of exclamation marks, praising the _braveness of youth_ message actually hurt a little to read. Lee was enthusiastic that was sure, and he gave them his full support, obviously believing in them.  
  
Naruto couldn't help the smile on his lips as he put the phone away. He didn’t know what he could say to them to make this alright, so he just didn’t. he would make it up to everyone when they got back, maybe treat them all to pizza or something, because pizza was almost as good as ramen when it came to fixing problems. Almost.  
  
"Naruto?" Sasuke peered up from his papers, waving Naruto over. Naruto loved that Sasuke hadn’t just brought him alone, but was going through the plans with him, looking for any input Naruto had. Sure, with Sasuke being a genius and the one who knew the house Naruto didn’t actually have anything to add, but it was still nice to be brought in on the plan. It showed him that Sasuke actually valued his opinions.  
  
Sasuke showed Naruto a diagram he had made of the house. However Sasuke had managed to make one this detailed for a house he hadn’t been in in years was beyond Naruto, who would be hard pressed to remember that much about the apartment he was living in at the moment. Bedrooms, bathrooms, living rooms and hallways were all drawn in with neat lines. They had no way of knowing where Itachi would reside until they actually got there, but Sasuke had plotted out where they should enter, and what route they should take, covering the most likely places when they actually went inside. The first step of the plan entailed getting past the gates and survey the house from the vast gardens surrounding it, seeing any activity going in and out. They would go in soon, aiming for an early afternoon. Neither wanted to postpone this another moment, and by going in while the sun was still up it would liken the possibility that Itachi had retreated to a dark corner of the manor, leaving them free to explore the area and come up with a more detailed plan.   
  
Spending an hour going over the plan and the various contingencies the two partners-turned-lovers looked at each other, knowing that this was it, this was when Sasuke either got his vengeance or they went down in a blaze of pain. This was the start of the beginning.  


***

  
“Itachi?”   
  
Itachi opened his eyes slowly, barely deigning the man in front of him with a sharp look before closing them again as he let the classical music that flowed from the speakers flood through him. He had called for him, but it wouldn’t harm the other to wait.  
  
“What did you want?”  
  
Itachi sighed. Obviously the other wasn’t in a patient mood. Itachi rubbed his forehead as he leaned forward, turning off the music.  
  
“Have you heard back from Kakuzu and Hidan yet?”  
  
“No. Not a word since they left. Think they were trying to trick us?”  
  
“Considering the fact that they were to be paid _after_ they had delivered what they were looking for it wouldn’t be much of a trick would it?”  
  
“So they gave up?”  
  
Itachi pressed his fingertips together as he leaned back in his chair again. “No, there was too much money at stake, Kakuzu would not walk away from that. Something has happened to them.”  
  
“What could have stopped those psychos?”  
  
A small smile tugged at the corner of Itachi’s mouth as a picture of a young boy flashed in his mind, broken apart by the carnage he was seeing, eyes wide in shock and horror.  
  
“Sasuke,” he simply said, and knew it to be true. He had left behind a broken boy, but Sasuke was an Uchiha, just like he—or at least his body—was and it would take more than that to stop him. No, Sasuke would have used the pain of losing his family to grow cold and strong, his mind set on revenge. His parting words would have ensured that.   
  
Yes, there was no doubt in his mind that Sasuke was the reason Hidan and Kakuzu never reported back, and that could only mean one thing. The moment he had been waiting for was growing close. It would only be a matter of time before Sasuke tracked him down and Itachi would be able to put the final part of his plan in motion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is basically the quiet before the storm, so the next few chapters should be... fun. Better sharpen those swords and load those guns!


	30. Chapter 30

Naruto stared back at the wrought iron gate they had just passed. It matched the black spikes adorning the heavy stone walls that surrounded the entirety of the Uchiha manor, making scaling the wall impossible without accidentally impaling oneself. He figured it was a good thing the gates hadn’t been locked, however wrong it felt to just waltz right inside like it was nothing. In the movies the gates were always locked. Or if it wasn’t locked it was only because it was all a trap. He really did not want to walk right into a trap.  
  
On the other side of the gate a gravelled road lead up the hill towards a massive manor house partly hidden behind large, leafy trees. It looked eerie with the sun shining down on it, glinting off the windows. Somehow it felt like the house should only been seen after sunset in November, trees bare, sky grey, wind howling around their ears. Wasn’t that always how it was in the horror movies, the vampire villain retreating in some dark and damp castle with bats in the rafters? This house was caught in a strange combination of inviting beauty and foreboding dread, and looking up at the house and the sprawling gardens it was hard to remember that they weren't in the middle of some English moor, but rather on the outskirts of an American city.  
  
Sasuke didn’t take the road towards the house, he cut across the grass, following the stone wall around the edge of the property until they trees between them and the house grew into a small patch of forest, completely hiding the building from view. This way no one would be able to see them as they approached the house. For a moment Sasuke just stood in silence and stared up at the trees as if he could still see the house, caught up in old memories. The gardens were well maintained, courtesy of a firm Sasuke paid to take care of the place, and seeing the house look just like it had before would undoubtedly place Sasuke right back in his childhood, memories of living a happy life here.  
  
Naruto kept his attention on their surroundings as Sasuke reminisced. There were no apparent signs of vampiric activity around, no rotting bodies, no sound of anyone lurking in the shadows, waiting to attack. Naruto wasn’t too surprised, any vampires would be inside, hidden from the scorching rays of the sun, waiting for it to set so they could terrorize the world.  
  
Sasuke didn’t say anything, he just started walking up the hill towards the line of trees, and Naruto hurried after, eyes peering through the shades under the foliage to ensure there weren’t anyone waiting for them there. It looked completely deserted, but Naruto kept a firm grip on his gun, having drawn it the moment they walked inside the gates. He had loaded it with expanding bullets, figuring it would stop any shifters and vampires long enough that Sasuke could move in to finish the business. The silver nitrate filled bullets wouldn’t have done much damage on shifters, but he kept a clip of them in one of the pockets on his black cargo pants, ready to exchange in a few seconds if the situation called for it.  
  
They had gone in with the expectation that Itachi had hired shifters, and prepared thusly. It wasn’t all that uncommon with the more civilized vampires, those that managed to stay alive because they realised crazed bloodsheds weren’t the way to go. Vampires were vulnerable during the day, and shifters were a common way for them to keep themselves safe. He’d heard about some vampires hiring witches or warlocks for the same purpose, and there was even a case with one vampire down in New Orleans who had kept a group of ghouls on a leash to protect the door to the basement he hid in during the day. Expanding bullets would put holes in all of the above, so he’d gone with them for now.   
  
Sasuke had likewise brought along a small arsenal, knives, gun and most importantly his katana. Combined with the all black ensemble they both wore they both looked ready for battle. Shitkickers to kick ass, weapons adorning their bodies and bandanas wrapped around their foreheads to soak up blood and sweat that might otherwise mess up their vision at a crucial time.  
  
Standing well inside the dark shadows cast from leafy trees Naruto and Sasuke stopped, looking up at the manor house sprawling in front of them. Naruto knew that it wasn’t record-breaking big, considering the castles some rich as fuck people preferred, but in his eyes it was still massive. Two stories of stone, paned windows lining it in neat rows, rose bushes neatly framing the base. It was beautiful, but at the same time cold. It lacked the warmth that came with people living in a place, that which turned a house into a home. There were no sign of anyone here. No footballs left lying outside, no windows open to let in the air, no voices to be heard. It looked like something deserted, a monument of what had been.  
  
They followed the line of trees silently, alert for any sign of life, or unlife as it was. The manor looked firmly shut and abandoned. No one was patrolling the outsides, and there were no sign of anyone inside. Heavy drapes were pulled in front of some of the windows, but others were drawn, showing glimpses of vases placed in window sills and furniture covered with white sheets. Either they were wrong and there were no one here at all, or whoever was here had hidden inside, sleeping behind drawn curtains. It became apparent that they only had one choice. They were going inside. Naruto knew exactly when Sasuke came to this decision, his whole being focused on the house, gaze frozen as he undoubtedly went through what possible scenarios might occur inside.   
  
Under the shadow of the trees Naruto wrapped his arm around Sasuke’s bicep and pulled him to a stop as Sasuke made to move towards the house. He heard Sasuke draw a quick breath, but he didn’t turn towards Naruto. His shoulders showed how tense he was, and his eyes were firmly locked at the path that led towards his childhood home.  
  
Sasuke seemed adamant not to turn towards him, but Naruto wasn’t about to let that stop him. He took a step around him, placing himself smack in the middle of Sasuke’s line of sight. Sasuke’s eyes flickered to his for a moment before again searching out the stone walls of his once home.  
  
“Sasuke,” Naruto said in a low whisper. A few seconds passed and then Sasuke let out a soft breath and finally looked at Naruto again.   
  
“We are in this together. I am not leaving your side, no matter what happens inside there. We’re getting out of that house again, _together._ ”  
  
Sasuke's eyes flashed with emotions before he again closed himself behind a shield Naruto knew he would need to go through with this.  
  
Leaning in, Naruto gave him a hard kiss, needing Sasuke to realise just how much he loved him. Sasuke tensed against him until finally relenting, kissing back, just as hard. Naruto poured all he had to give into that kiss, to make sure Sasuke would feel it and remember that he wasn’t alone, that Naruto was right there by his side  
  
They were panting silently when they pulled back, lips reddened. Naruto had his hands curved lightly around the back of Sasuke’s head, keeping him close as he leaned their foreheads together, making sure that all Sasuke could see was him. "Let's do this," he said, forcing a smile to his lips.  
  
The silence of the property clashed completely with their moods, putting them on edge as they followed the treeline to the nearest door. They’d have to get across open ground to get to the door, but there were no other way to get inside. They looked around, ensuring that they couldn’t see anyone, and then they ran. They kept themselves low to the ground, darting across the lawn in a crouch, and plastering themselves against the wall next to the door the moment they could.   
  
They both held their breath as they listened for any sound that would indicate that they had been found, but apart from a lone bird thrilling amongst the trees there was nothing.  
  
"Knives," Sasuke whispered, eyes moving to the gun in Naruto's hand. They had come this far, so now it was all about keeping their presence unknown for as long as possible. Naruto placed his gun in its holster by his ribs where it would be easy to draw when the situation called for it and pulled a knife out of the sheath wrapped around his thigh, containing several more like it. He was deadly with a throwing knife as well, his gun just had better range so he preferred that in most situations. The knife was silent though, a small whiz through the air the only sound to betray it.  
  
Ready for whatever they might see on the other side Sasuke's hand reached out, grabbing the doorknob and twisting it silently. Katana clutched in his hand he was ready to decapitate anyone coming too close.  
  
The door slammed open and Sasuke moved into the opening, spinning around to see if anyone was in there, waiting for them. The lack of anything happening told Naruto that the room had been empty, so he followed, closing the door behind him, not wanting anyone to see the open door and realise they had just been invaded.  
  
Peering around the room he noted that they had entered a large, luxurious kitchen, about fifteen years out of date, but still looking spotless. There was a large island in the middle of the room, bar stools lining one side. Naruto could envision how the place would have looked like before. A young Sasuke sitting at that kitchen island, doing homework while his mother made dinner. He wished he had been able to know that Sasuke, know him before tragedy forever tore away a part of his soul. He wished he could have seen a smile completely untainted by pain and suffering.  
  
Sasuke seemed to be lost in similar thoughts, eyes widening fractionally as he peered around the room.  
  
A sudden muffled sound of talking pulled them both out of their thoughts. Someone was closing in, voices growing clearer as they neared the kitchen door. Sasuke and Naruto moved silently, Naruto crouching behind the kitchen island, Sasuke behind the door of the kitchen, where it would swing open and shield him from view. They didn’t need to talk to communicate, their bodies moving instantaneously, like their minds were connected. They read each other perfectly. They had done almost immediately after become partners, no matter how they fought or hated each other their teamwork was flawless, almost like they were destined to be together, made to work together.  
  
They meshed equally well in their life outside of work as well, as soon as they got over the whole hating one another thing. They completed each other like they were two pieces of a puzzle, and it amazed Naruto. Amazed him that he, who had always been on the outside, had found someone who he fit so well with. He was not ready to lose that, not for anyone.  
  
He stilled his heart, trying to keep his pulse in control as they listened to the approaching voices. He could make out some of the words now, talk of _preparations,_ of _finding more._ There were no mentions of Itachi, but somehow it didn’t sound like your everyday vagrants or squatters.  
  
Naruto tightened his grip on the knife in his hand, knowing that any enemies should be stopped instantaneously to ensure they could alert anyone else that was in the house, but at the same time vary, because they couldn't be sure that it really was Itachi and his posse.   
  
The door to the kitchen opened, and Naruto peered around the counter, eyes quickly scanning the pair standing in the opening. The first person was a young man, probably no more than eighteen. He looked starved, all skin and bones, eyes sunken in and cheeks hollow. The scars lining his arms and neck showed exactly why he was looking emaciated. Fang marks. Deep and ragged, as if someone had had a dinner party and he had been the main course. Naruto wouldn't have been surprised if the fang marks travelled the rest of his body as well, hidden behind an oversized tank top and jeans.   
  
The other man was easy to identify. He was grinning as he pushed the young man in front of himself, displaying long fangs still tainted red. Vampire. Awake during the day which meant two things, he was old, and he felt safe. Only now did Naruto realise that the curtains were drawn in the kitchen, shutting out any stray rays of sun that might have threatened the vampire. Obviously the vampire had been here long enough to be familiar with the surroundings. The house functioned as a den, and Naruto would bet all his meagre savings that the den master was the one they were looking for, Itachi Uchiha.   
  
A sharp glance at Sasuke and they both knew that any plans of sneaking around to gather intel was officially out of the picture. It was going down tonight. Naruto drew a quick breath and then pushed to his feet, his body twisting, sending his knife flying through the air with deadly accuracy as it embedded itself in the vampire’s skull.   
  
The vampire roared, and Naruto watched in shock as his eyes flashed towards Naruto, narrowing into a feral glare as his lips peel away from his fangs. The knife stuck from his forehead like some poor imitation of a unicorn horn, but somehow the vampire was still alive, even if Naruto could see his flesh greying around the silver-coated blade. _Shit shit shit._  
  
Naruto knew he had to finish the business quickly, so he jumped around the kitchen island as he drew a new knife, intending to finish the business by slamming it into the vampire’s skull to join its twin.   
  
It never found his target. Naruto never got to plunge it into a hard skull because the scarred young man leapt in front of the vampire, placing his chest in the knife’s trajectory. Naruto had no time to stop the motion of his arm as the knife plunged deep into his chest.   
  
Naruto’s eyes flew wide open as the boy smiled softly at him, as if he hadn’t just been stabbed through the chest. He exhaled once and crumpled to the floor, dark red blossoming around the knife.  
  
Naruto would have made an easy target for the vampire he had intended to kill if not for Sasuke, who had stepped up and decapitated it with a swift slice of his katana. Naruto barely noticed as he looked down on the man--boy--lying at his feet, glassy eyes staring at the ceiling. The hand that had held the knife was twitching at his side, but he barely noticed.  
  
“Naruto,” Sasuke said in a whisper, getting Naruto’s attention.  
  
“He wouldn’t have survived anyways, he was in too deep.”  
  
“I could have gotten him out, the hospital..:” Naruto started, his voice trailing off again.   
  
Sasuke kneeled by the body, pulling at the neckline of the tank top, exposing more fang marks, bruised a deep purple. “Look,” he merely said and indicated towards the spot where the knife met chest. The flesh was drenched in blood, but something else became apparent. The flesh underneath the blood was crumpling in on itself, black rot spreading across the skin.  
  
“He was on the verge of death already. They’d obviously fed him vampire blood to keep him alive for a while longer, but he wouldn’t have made it through the night.”  
  
It was a hollow comfort for Naruto. He had no qualms slaying vampires, not really, but this was a human being, and even if he had been doomed it had still been Naruto’s knife that claimed his life.   
  
“Naruto, you only shortened his pain. We would have had a vampire or a body on our hands tomorrow either way, he couldn't be saved.”  
  
There was a difference between knowing and accepting. Naruto was still raw on the edges from the fight against the vampire wannabees a few days ago, from losing control again, and now he had yet again done something without any intention, and even though he knew there wasn’t really anything he could have done he was just so tired. Tired of not being in control of anything, tired of the constant fight with himself and how not even when he managed to control the beast he could stop hurting people.   
  
He drew a ragged breath and pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind. This was not the time to go all existential crisis on Sasuke. They were in the middle of a fight, and he had always known there would be casualties. He had a job to do, and even more so, he had Sasuke he needed to be strong for. This was their chance to vanquish the demons that haunted Sasuke’s past, giving him the opportunity to finally be able to let go of old paints and move on with his life, and Naruto was not about to let anything stop him from that goal.   
  
They were in the middle of this now, and it was time to go all in.  
  


***

  
Sasuke tried to shut out the memories that kept pushing on his mind as he walked through the familiar surroundings of the dining room and the sitting room beyond that again. The couch he had climbed on as a kid, the table they had sat around during Christmas and the fireplace where he and Itachi had roasted marshmallows while the snow piled high on the window sills all tore at his chest, reminding him of happier times when he had been completely unaware of how his life would be torn apart later on.  
  
He steeled his gaze in front of him, and tried to focus on the task at hand. This was not the time for memories; this was a time for action.   
  
This was almost worse than actual fighting would be, this silent walk, their bodies so alert and ready for battle it had their skin prickling. Whenever a floorboard would creek underneath their feet they would freeze, listen for the sign of anyone getting up to check out the sounds. They were painfully aware that the two they had killed in the kitchen might be missed at some point, their disappearances checked in to.  
  
The door leading from the sitting room to one of the main living rooms on the first floor was closed, and when they got closer Naruto stopped him and held up a finger, indicating that he should wait. Blue eyes closed for a bit, and then he stepped close to Sasuke, leaning in so his lips were almost brushing his ear.   
  
“I hear at least three people inside,” he said in a whisper so faint Sasuke barely heard it.   
  
At times Sasuke forgot that Naruto was a shifter with the heightened senses that came with that. He hadn’t heard anything, but he wasn't about to question Naruto.   
  
Sasuke knew well what had been in that room and he doubted the vampires had rearranged much. It had been used as a TV room, all comfortable couches and shelves filled with movies.   
  
Naruto and he both lifted their weapons. They knew that there was only one way to do this, quick and silent. A gun would have been faster, but the sound would most definitely alert anyone in the house, and the chance that Itachi was inside the TV room watching sitcoms wasn’t one he was prepared to take. Sasuke buried any emotions he had churning under the surface and glanced over at his partner. It was oddly reassuring to have the blond by his side. It was as if he was siphoning off Naruto’s strength, growing calmer just by having him near.  
  
Naruto took point, and as soon as the door opened he unleashed the first knife. It burrowed deep into the neck of a vampire that had been sitting perched on the armrest of the couch, sending his body sprawling to the floor by the force of the throw alone.   
  
Sasuke’s eyes scanned the room in a split-second, taking in and analysing the situation. Two vampires on the couch, one dead already, ignore him. A shifter on the floor, curled up on the carpet. Another going through the videos at the back of the room. No time to think, so he just reacted. He instinctively knew that Naruto would take down vampire number two on the couch, so he fell to the right, his blade sliding through the air, not allowing the shifter on the carpet time to do anything other than jump to his feet, face contorting as the shift flowed through him. His head thumped against the floor a moment later, hideously disfigured half-shift.   
  
He didn’t need to check to know that the second vampire was being dealt with by Naruto as he pushed his legs to move. The shifter that had been standing at the back of the room, farthest away from them, had the time to react while his companions were being disposed of. Rather than stay and fight he dropped what he was holding and bolted for the door. Sasuke was faster though, his blade sliding out, cutting sharply across his back, sending him reeling to the floor.  
  
Moving quickly Sasuke dropped to his knees, shoved the shifter over onto his back and clamped his head over his mouth as the shifter screamed out in sudden pain when his wounded back met the floor, hard. Sasuke moved his blade to rest across his neck. "One sound and your head leave your body," he said as he swung his leg over him, pinning him to the ground with his body weight.  
  
The shifter seemed to realise just how deadly his opponent were, biting back another scream of pain, stilling underneath him. Sasuke noted how young the kid was. Barely out of his teens he had the long limbs that came with puberty, but he hadn’t quite filled out to proportion yet. Coupled with scraggly brown hair and green eyes wide in terror he didn’t look the part of terrifying bad guy.  
  
"Is Itachi here?" Sasuke asked, voice low.  
  
The kid just stared at him.  
  
"Look, if you are afraid he'll kill you if you spill I will assure you, your options are pretty much spill and try to get away, or be killed immediately. So, again, is Itachi here?" Sasuke did not have the patience for this.  
  
The kid hesitated for another moment before his eyes slid closed and he nodded. Sasuke's heart lurched in his chest.  
  
"Where?"  
  
The kid stared at him, looking like he was intending to talk, too afraid for his own life not to. Carefully pulling his hand away, ready to stop him if he tried screaming, Sasuke waited.  
  
"His room of course. He's been waiting for you." A wicked grin flashed over the shifter's lips, Sasuke saw his chest expand as he pulled air into his lungs, and before the kid had time to scream like Sasuke knew he was about to, his blade moved, the sharp edge digging into a tan neck, carving it open in a bloody grin. The shifter sputtered and died. Sasuke did not have time for compassion. Maybe there was the smallest chance that the shifter could have been rehabilitated, but after hanging with vampires for any prolonged time that was hardly likely. Vampires had a tendency to corrupt minds, breaking away any morality until only darkness was left behind.  
  
He noticed Naruto standing behind him and looked up seeing his lover looking as radiant as ever, holding out a hand to him. Sasuke grasped it and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet.  
  
Naruto squeezed his hand once before letting go. The small touch was enough to reassure Sasuke. This had gone better than they would have ever thought, and he could see the goal in the distance now. Itachi was upstairs, waiting for him. Of course Itachi would know Sasuke would try to search him out sooner or later, he had told him to do it hadn’t he?  
  
_It's only the two of us left now, baby brother. Get strong, and then come find me. I will be waiting._  
  
Itachi had been waiting for this for years, waiting for Sasuke to get stronger. Only, Sasuke hadn’t gotten strong enough on his own, he had found his true strength through Naruto. Together they were strong as steel, an unbreakable force Itachi wouldn’t have been expecting. It was their true advantage. A demon had no concept of love or the strength that entailed, being beings of darkness, so it would never know how his love for Naruto, and Naruto's love for him, made him stronger than ever. With Naruto at his side he could conquer the world, and he could certainly face the demon that had haunted him for years.  
  
The rest of the first floor was empty, his father's study, the library, and the great hall. He felt a great pain clench at his heart when he came into the hallway, remembering how his parents had looked when he found them, broken on the floor, blood staining the expensive tile. He couldn't allow himself down that spiral of memories though, so forced himself to look at the dark wooden staircase that lead up to the second floor. It looked just like he remembered it. Wide enough that he and his childhood friends had been able to place two mattresses next to each other as they slid down it. He remembered his father not being very happy with them making so much noise, his mother chiding Fugaku, claiming the kids were just playing.  
  
_Let the kids play their games, you've worked enough for the night._  
  
His father had never managed to say no to his wife, and Sasuke had been able to keep on playing, racing down the stairs against and again.  
  
It felt so different, yet so familiar, to walk up the stairs now.  
  
Upstairs the hallway opened up before him, stretching out in both directions. The kids had rooms down one side, his parents down the other. The rest of the rooms were various guest rooms and storage rooms they didn’t use for other thing than store old family heirlooms they didn’t need or use. The whole floor was silent, and it felt eerily like the quiet before the storm. He expected hell to break out any time. This had been going too well so far. Something was bound to happen to mess it up; it could not be this easy. Why would Itachi just be waiting for him to arrive to kill him? No, it would definitely not be this easy.  
  
Heading down the hallway he had to concentrate to still the shaking that rose in his hand. He didn’t have time to panic now; he needed to be calm and composed. There would be no room for errors. The vampires and shifters downstairs had been taken down without any major problems, but he knew that the vampire that was waiting for him would not die that easily.  
  
Itachi's room was almost at the end of the hallway, the door the same white painted wood as every other door, but different at the same time. Sasuke had gone through those doors several times, most of them ending with him getting chased out by his big brother, but this time it felt different, as if he could sense the evil lurking inside.  
  
His hand closed around the doorknob. This was it. This was the time for revenge, the moment he had longed for for years, the moment he had been preparing for. Hours of training, honing his skills, hunting down other vampires, sacrificing a personal life for his hunt for revenge. His life all accumulated in this very moment.  
  
The door slid open silently.  
  
In the middle of room a solitary armchair stood, the red velvet faded through the decades. It was facing the fireplace, which was cold and unused. Over the top of the armchair Sasuke saw a head faced the other way, long black hair shiny and well groomed. The exact shade of black as his own hair.  
  
A pale arm hung over the armrest, a tumbler of amber liquid hanging precariously from long fingers, dark purple tainting the nails a stark contrast to the alabaster of the skin. On the table next to him stood a decanter of what Sasuke realised where his father's most prized possession, a very rare bottle of whiskey he only drank from when there was something to celebrate. Somehow the idea that the vampire was drinking from that bottle infuriated Sasuke. That whiskey belonged to his father; it should not be allowed to touch the lips of a monster.  
  
"I was wondering when you'd show up." His voice was a silky smooth richness. Dark and alluring. Sasuke felt the grip falter on his katana and had to strain to maintain it. His palms were feeling clammy as fear suddenly surged through him now that he was finally here, facing the embodiment of his nightmares.  
  
The tumbler tilted, the amber liquid pouring to the floor in a thin line, pooling around the carved legs of the chair. Sasuke could only watch, frozen to the spot. Empty the crystal tumbler fell to the floor, shattering with a sound that tore at Sasuke's edges, making his wince.  
  
The hand retreated, curling around the armrest, slowly pushing the body of the man sitting there to stand. Sasuke saw that his hair was still as long as it had been, pulled back in a sleek ponytail, and he suddenly remembered how his mother had wanted Itachi to cut it, his teenaged brother just laughing at her worry of him not fitting in with society, calming her with assurances that his grades being good enough for people to ignore the long hair.  
  
The back partly hidden behind that sleek length of hair was lean, but Sasuke knew the muscles underneath the silky black shirt would be coiled with strength. His brother had been an impressive martial artist, and the demon would only have added vampire strength and speed to that already trained body, making him a lethal opponent.  
  
Slowly Itachi turned. As his red eyes met Sasuke's they flared with fire. Thin lips curled into a grin, displaying prominent incisors, sharp and deadly. Apart from the colour of his eyes and the fangs he looked exactly like he had. Still stuck in the body of a teenager Sasuke had grown past him in height and width, but only barely. The deep tear-troughs that marked Itachi's face were still there, the one feature that truly separated them. He could hear a soft intake of air from Naruto. Apparently he had just realised just how similar the Uchiha brothers looked. They could have been twins.  
  
"Baby-brother, you're all grown up," Itachi said. "Have you come to kill me? Do you think you are strong enough now?"  
  
Sasuke didn’t answer; he didn’t trust his voice enough. Gone were the confident man with full control of emotions, just seeing his brother and the demon he now was had broken that apart, leaving him just as unable to act as he had as a kid. Terror had frozen his blood in his veins.  
  
"I see you brought a guard dog, do you really think that will help you?" Itachi asked, leering at Naruto.  
  
The mention of Naruto did something to Sasuke. He was suddenly aware of Naruto standing behind him, a warm calming presence that seemed to seep into him, filling him with a new strength. He wasn’t that young boy anymore, scared and alone. He wasn’t alone this time, he had Naruto with him. Itachi might scoff at him, but Sasuke knew Naruto's strength, and now he realised just how important he was to him. If Naruto had allowed him to go alone Sasuke would not have gotten out of this alive. Itachi would have slain him without Sasuke ever being able to even defend himself. The power he held over him was devastating, but Naruto's strength might just be enough to counteract that.  
  
"I figured I should see the infamous Uchiha vampire. Can't say I'm impressed," Naruto said, his voice light, like he was completely unaffected by the situation. He was truly remarkable.  
  
Itachi laughed then, a cold laugh that held no mirth. "The dog is unimpressed, however will I live?"  
  
"I'm not a dog," Naruto said, his voice growing angrier. Sasuke had learned first-hand that Naruto didn’t like being bunched with all the other shifters when he himself referred to him as a cat, apparently a dog was no better.  
  
"Never mind, I'll kill you anyw—” Itachi stopped talking for a moment, his eyes flashing with amusement as he connected the dots. “You are not just a bodyguard are you? Sasuke cares about you does he not? How typical of my baby brother, falling for a lowly shifter. He never had very good taste. I'm glad he brought you though; I'll have so much fun killing you while he watches. I'll so enjoy the look on his face as I crush him. You should have seen him when he found his parents. Priceless."  
  
"Sasuke," Naruto said, ignoring Itachi altogether. "You're stronger than him. Don’t let him intimidate you. You've worked for this, you are better than some lousy demon."  
  
Another laugh from Itachi. "Sasuke was never good enough. Always coming in second behind his beloved big brother. He can never win."  
  
Sasuke was suddenly brought back to his childhood. His brother was master at everything he did, whether it was school work or sports. He never got anything but A's, was a master martial artists and a student body president. Sasuke always strived to be just as good, but never quite managed. At the time he had been angry, but also proud of his bigger brother, idolising him. He wasn’t going to be number two anymore though; he was not going to let Itachi win this. It wasn’t his big brother anymore, it was just a thing that happened to look like him and have his memories. And Sasuke Uchiha was better than any demon. He was an expert swordsman, and his blade was sharp, ready to draw blood. He would prove that he was good enough, would do it for his brother's memory.  
  
Fear slowly vaporized, his fingers curling around his katana, feeling the familiar weight in his hand. The blade was an extension of his arm, a part of him he could wield with deadly precision. He was good enough, he was strong enough.  
  
Exploding into action he leapt at his brother, the blade flying through the air.  
  
Itachi reacted instantaneously. A katana seemed to suddenly appeared in his hand as well, having been placed against the armchair, out of Sasuke's view. Itachi brought it up, still in its sheath, blocking Sasuke's blade. Sasuke didn’t let it deter him, spinning his body around and bringing the blade with him, slicing at Itachi's exposed side. His brother managed to drop the blade to block just in time. Itachi might be good, but Sasuke was better.  
  
His body flowed gracefully, honed through years of vigorous training with the blade, slicing and blocking and shooting out again, aiming for all of Itachi's weak points. Itachi was struggling to keep up with him, and that fact spurred Sasuke on. Itachi had pulled his katana from its sheath, but was on the defensive, blocking Sasuke's attack, not getting any in of his own.  
  
"Sasuke!" Naruto called out, and Sasuke reacted immediately, ducking to the ground and sweeping at Itachi's feet as Naruto sent one of his lethal blades flying. The dual attack meant Itachi couldn’t block both blades, and as his katana swiped away Sasuke's, saving his legs from the wicked slice of Sasuke's katana a knife tore through his upper arm, sending a shower of blood flying as it ripped through fabric and skin and flesh, leaving a deep gash. Itachi had managed to dodge enough to stop Naruto hitting a deadly spot, but as the silver residue started eating at the edges of the wound Itachi grew distracted by the excruciating pain.  
  
The wound would not be enough kill him, but it gave Sasuke the opening he needed. He sent his leg flying, connecting with Itachi's chest, sending him staggering backwards until he slammed into the fireplace. He was about to finish it when Itachi started laughing. "Too busy to protect your little pet?"  
  
Dread filled Sasuke as he turned around and saw Naruto standing by the door, a pair of thick arms wrapped around his chest, a knife held to his neck. The man holding him towered above him. His skin was a greyish blue, and his mouth was full of ragged teeth. There was no mistaking him for anything other than a shark shifter. Sasuke knew just enough about them to know that they were in trouble. Naruto wouldn't be able to get out of that grip easily, and if the shark worked with Itachi it would mean that he wouldn’t hesitate to plunge that knife into Naruto's neck, ending his life.  
  
Sasuke froze. This was what he had been dreading the entire time. Naruto, _his Naruto_! It could not end like this, he would not allow it, would not!  
  
Swirling at Itachi he locked eyes with him, knowing his eyes were blazing with pure hatred.  
  
"Drop your katana or he dies," Itachi said coldly.  
  
The sound of the sword hitting the ground sounded awfully loud in the now silent room. He heard the rough chuckling of the shark behind him, his voice low and throatily. He kept staring at Itachi though, wishing he could incinerate the other with his gaze, needing him dead now, but not sure how he would manage that while keeping Naruto alive. At some point keeping Naruto alive had become much more important to him than seeing Itachi dead.  
  
"I'm gonna enjoy killing you, right after I dispose of your mangy pet. I will crush your soul and when you are completely broken I’ll make you into one of us," Itachi said, voice dripping with malice, his fist suddenly flying out, connecting hard with Sasuke's cheek. Sasuke fell to the ground as warm, sticky blood erupted on his now split cheek, running down his skin. His mind was spinning, trying to find a way to make this right as Itachi's foot pulled back, flying forward in a blur to connect with his side. Pain exploded in his ribs, and he was fairly certain at least a couple of them cracked under the impact.  
  
Sasuke rolled to his stomach, trying to scramble to his feet as a weight settled in the small of his back, pinning him to the ground. Fingers curled in his hair, and he found his head yanked to the side, exposing the long line of his neck. He felt his pulse beating hard in his neck, and he knew Itachi would see it too, would _smell_ it.   
  
Long hair tickled his neck as Itachi leaned over him, and Sasuke could only blink up at Naruto as he saw his lover struggling against the arms wrapped around him, desperate to save him. Sasuke knew it was too late for him though, he had failed, yet again.  
  
“Naruto, save yourself!” he called out. Naruto’s eyes grew wide, and then he shook his head. Sasuke didn’t know if it was in answer, or a denial of the situation, but it wouldn’t matter.   
  
Then he saw what he had been waiting for. Naruto’s eyes flashed red, and for a split second Sasuke thought Naruto would be able to get away. He just needed to give into his beast this once, just to save himself, and then Sasuke could die knowing his Naruto would be safe.  
  
The shark's fist was a sledge hammer as it slammed into Naruto’s skull. Sasuke saw the red fade back to blue as he slumped in the shark’s grip, unconscious. Sasuke screamed and then sharp fangs bit into his neck and the world was nothing but pain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhangers? What cliffhangers? I have no idea what you are talking about. :3
> 
> I'm going to try (emphasis on try) to get the next chapter out by July 2nd, because then I'm going on a two week trip to the US, and won't have any time for writing. (Also, holy fudge! I'm going to the US in like two weeks, and I haven't planned anything yet. D: Like, we're doing a week in NYC, but then we have rented a car for the next week, so we'll travel around, only we have no idea actually where to travel to. Pft, talk about being bad planners. XD)


	31. Chapter 31

Naruto came to with a gasp and a groan. The first thing he became aware of was a throbbing pain in his head; the next was the darkness surrounding him. At first he couldn't tell if it was because the room was dark or he was blinded somehow, but then he became aware of a strip of white, and realised he was in some darkened room, only the crack under the door letting in any light.  
  
He was lying on his stomach, arms behind his back, cheek plastered to the floor, and it took him a moment to clear his aching head enough to realise just where he was and why. The manor. Itachi. _Sasuke._  
  
As memories flooded through him he started trashing, needing to get to his feet, needing to get out and find Sasuke. His arms refused to move, and hard steel bit into his wrists when he tugged his arms. _No no no_ , this couldn’t happen, this wasn’t how it was supposed to happen! They were supposed to find Itachi so Sasuke could get his revenge and maybe finally he’d be able to move on with his life.   
  
Naruto threw all his strength into trying to yank his arms free, but he couldn’t do anything. He felt panic grip him as images of Sasuke lying on the floor, Itachi leaning over him, flashed before his mind. He would not accept that Sasuke was dead. Sasuke was stronger than that.  
  
He felt his skin break as he started trying to pull his hands free of the metal that encased his wrists. A roar tore from his throat as he realised that it wasn’t possible, not without dislocating his arms or breaking his hands. He collapsed to the floor again, his body sagging as he realised how useless he was.   
  
How could he have ever thought he was good enough to stand by Sasuke’s side? He was just a monster, out of control, and he couldn’t even utilize that to help save Sasuke. He had been foolish, had forgotten himself as he tried to stop himself from shifting and rushing to Sasuke’s aid. He knew Sasuke needed to kill Itachi, needed that closure, and he had been marvellous as he wielded his katana with ease. So caught up in the fight, so tuned into Sasuke, watching his every move, ready to move in at a moment’s notice if he needed help, Naruto hadn’t noticed the man sneaking up on him until thick arms banded around his body, and by then it was too late. He still had no idea who or what had captured him, but the strength had been monstrous, while at the same time the man had to be eerily quiet as he snuck up on Naruto without a sound.  
  
Biting back the panic that was settling over him like a heavy cloak Naruto took deep, calm breaths and peered over his shoulder. The room was dark, so he couldn’t really see well, but he deduced that he was bound by some sort of handcuffs. Not your regular kind, because he would have been able to pull out of those. No, these were some sort of reinforced steel, thick and unyielding.  
  
Tired of feeling helpless lying prone on his stomach Naruto rolled around, giving him a perfect view of the darkness that hid the roof over him. The position made his hands hurt as he was now on top of them, his body weight pressing the steel into the bones of his wrists. Naruto tightened his abdominal muscles and crouched up to a sitting position. It felt better, it felt less helpless somehow, and now his hands didn’t ache.  
  
He realised that the little bit of light filtering in from under the door was enough to make him aware of the dimension of the room he was in. It was tiny, and Naruto was pretty sure it was a closet of some kind. No windows and just the one door.   
  
_Okay, Naruto. You are not going to waste away while there’s still some chance Sasuke is still alive, so get a grip and figure something out_ , he thought to himself. He did a quick scan of himself. His arms were shackled, but other than that he was free to move. His face ached, and he wouldn’t be surprised if there were some fractures in the bone underneath. He couldn’t remember being knocked out, but it was apparent what had happened. The last he remembered was the world bleeding to red, and then it was just black altogether.   
  
There was very little he could do to help Sasuke locked in a closet, so either way he needed to get out of here. He’d always been fond of getting straight to business anyways.   
  
He scooted along the floor until he was facing the door, then he eased himself back, lifted his legs and sent both of his feet flying towards the door. In his head he had envisioned how that would send the door flying off its hinges, but in reality all it did was send pain shooting up the soles of his feet. He grit his teeth together and pulled back, sending off another kiss, pushing all his strength into it. He felt the door rattle, and could have sworn he heard a sound of wood splintering, but it still stood firm against him.  
  
Naruto wasn’t one to quit, and he kicked the door again, and again and again until suddenly it flew open, light spilling into the small room, blinding him. For a moment he thought he had managed to kick the door open, but then he saw the shadow looming in front of him and realised that he hadn’t kicked the door open, the man on the other side had opened it.   
  
Naruto would bet this this was the guy that had gotten to him earlier judging by the way he towered over him, a thick arm bounded with muscles underneath weirdly grey skin crossed in front of his chest.  
  
He might be bigger and meaner, but Naruto knew he was a good enough fighter so he wasn’t intimidated. He scrambled to his feet as gracefully as he could with his arms behind his back, and wasted no time as he jumped at the man, shoulder lowered and pushed toward him as he intended to shove the other man to the ground.   
  
There was a soft _oomph_ from the man as Naruto’s shoulder connected with his gut, but he stood firm against him, shoving Naruto away with a firm hand. Naruto’s eyes narrowed as he ran at him again. This man stood in the way between Naruto and Sasuke, and he was going down, no matter what.   
  
He might not be able to use his arms, but he had a thick skull, so he figured head-butting would be the way to go, even though it would have been easier if his opponent wasn’t at least a head taller than him. Naruto resorted to kicking, but the man just drew his arm back and punched Naruto hard enough in the stomach that any air he had left in his lungs vanished in a gasp. He tried to twist his body into a roundhouse kick, but found a heavy hand wrapped around his shoulder, and the next thing he knew his face met the wall.   
  
He crumpled to his knees, too dazed to stand up. His brain was sloshing around in his skull, and suddenly it was hard to focus on anything, the world swimming in front of him.  
  
He bit back a groan as he tried to clear his vision only to suddenly find a whole lot of someone up in his face. He jolted backwards when he realised that his opponent was leaning towards him, beady eyes locked on his.   
  
Naruto reacted instinctively, throwing his face towards the thick neck close to him, baring his teeth, preparing to rip out whatever flesh he could lock his teeth around.   
  
Fingers curled in his hair, yanking his head back. The man’s lips curled into a malicious grin, showing off rows of jagged triangular teeth. “You really wanna start biting?” he asked, his voice gruff. His breath was warm and sticky, and Naruto realised that those shark like teeth would have no problem tearing his apart. As it was he didn’t stand a chance. No, he had to up the ante, had to—  
  
“If you want to see your little boyfriend alive you won’t shift,” the man said calmly, and Naruto instantly froze, fending off whatever change the beast in his guy wanted to push through.  
  
 _I’m sorry I’m not stronger, Sasuke, I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you_ , Naruto thought to himself as he sank against the wall. If the man wanted to kill him he wouldn’t put up a fight if it meant that Sasuke was alive and would stay so a little while longer.   
  


***

  
_Earlier that night_  
  
  
Itachi got to his feet and wiped the back of his hand across his mouth. His skin became tainted with a smear of rich red he licked off. The taste of blood lingered in his mouth, sticky and sweet as he brushed down his pants, removing any dust particles that clung to them.   
  
He stepped around the body on the floor as he walked over to Kisame. The blond shifter was a limp weight in his arms.   
  
Itachi pushed his fingers into those messy blond locks and yanked the shifter’s head up so he could look at his face. Three lines across either cheek were the only marks showing that he was anything out of the ordinary.  
  
“You think they are a couple?” Kisame asked, shifting the body slightly.   
  
There was no doubt in Itachi’s mind that there’s something between Sasuke and this shifter. He saw the way Sasuke looked at him, felt his heart beat stutter when the shifter was threatened. Sasuke obviously cared for this thing, and wasn’t it convenient that he had brought along just what Itachi would need? Sasuke had managed what Hidan and Kakuzu had failed to do, bring his brother to him and find that which was most precious to him. If Sasuke had only known just how easy he was making this for him.   
  
“Sasuke cares for this shifter,” Itachi merely stated as he let a finger lightly trace along one tan cheek, feeling the ragged dips the markings created in the tan skin. “A cat of sorts?” he mused.  
  
“I would think so. Cougar shifter maybe? They aren’t too common though, most shifters over here seem to be wolves,” Kisame stated with a shrug. “But no rule without exceptions.” His lips twisted into a grin, showing off the ragged teeth that marked him as a shark.  
  
Itachi let the shifter’s head drop as he turned back to the body lying on the floor. “It does not matter either way. He will be perfect.”  
  
Crouching down he nudged the limp body of Sasuke, turning it over on its back. Blood had crusted over the twin wounds in his neck. He could feel the weak stuttering of a pulse beat in his throat, but for now he was completely helpless. It would have been so easy to just keep going, to keep his fangs in that neck and suck every last drop of blood from his throat, but that was not conducive to the plan he had.  
  
He hadn’t been prepared to put the plan into motion quite this fast. There were still some unknown variables, so he wasn't completely sure everything would work out as he wanted it, but he had to take the risk. The pay-off would be too great if it worked.  
  
“Restrain him and remove their weapons,” Itachi said to Kisame and sat down in his armchair again, staring into the empty fireplace. Sasuke would not stir for hours yet, time to finalize the plan.  
  


***

  
When Sasuke woke it wasn’t with a scream or a jolt. Waking felt like pushing his way through molasses. The world was grey, and his head spun as he clawed his way to consciousness. His mind was foggy, and he couldn’t figure out where he was or what had happened.   
  
Heavy eyes blinked, the world swimming in front of him, but steadily growing clearer. All he could see was red, dark red. It was flooding his vision, and it reminded him so harshly of blood that he clenched his eyes shut and kept them that way until the world stopped spinning. His whole body was aching, and his mouth was dry, his tongue sticking to the roof of his mouth. Carefully he peered through his lashes. The world was still painted in red, but now he saw the vague floral pattern woven through it that marked it as the wallpaper in one of the sitting rooms of the Uchiha manor. The same wallpaper he had been caught drawing on when he was three. Somewhere along these walls there had been a blue dinosaur painstakingly drawn by the clumsy hands of a three year old.   
  
Realisation didn’t come to him as a wave, it came as a slow unfurling as he realised where he was and what that meant. His old home. Itachi. Naruto being hurt. The pain of fangs digging into his neck. Being helpless. Unable to help himself or Naruto, unable to get his revenge. He had failed, and now Naruto might be dead because of him, and Itachi had won, and there was nothing Sasuke could do to right what he had done wrong.  
  
A sound from behind him made him tense up. He wanted to turn around to see who was there with him, but his stomach protested moving too much. He feared he’d throw up if he did.  
  
“I think you were a bit eager, yeah?” a voice Sasuke didn’t recognise said.  
  
“Oh, he is awake; he is just pretending not to be.”  
  
 _Itachi_. Sasuke’s jaw clenched as he gathered up the strength to move, finding it easier than he had thought it would be as soon as he started. He rolled over on his other side, eyes scanning the room, seeing the vampire posing as his brother sitting on one of the couches, ankle hooked over a knee as he leaned back, looking relaxed. Another vampire was sitting next to him, long blond hair hanging partly in front of his face. A grin spread on the vampire’s face as he saw Sasuke looking at him.   
  
“He looks older than you, yeah?” the blond said, nudging Itachi as he leaned forward on the couch, head tilted slightly to the side as he stared at Sasuke. Sasuke saw how the blond’s eyes were a clear blue, and was instantly reminded of Naruto. He wanted to ask what had happened to him, wanted to beg to see him, but he restrained himself. Itachi had already called him out on Naruto being special to him; he didn’t want to show just how much he really mattered to him in case Naruto was still alive. If Itachi didn’t think he really cared maybe he’d let Naruto go because killing him wouldn’t matter to him.   
  
A fool’s hope, but a hope nonetheless.   
  
Looking away from the blond vampire he took in the room. There were no other vampires around, nor was there any sign of the shark shifter from earlier. He had no idea who else might be in the house. They had killed many as they made their way through it, so the downstairs rooms had been cleared, but they hadn’t been able to go through the upstairs methodically, and there might have been shifters that wasn’t inside, so they had no way to tell how many more might be lurking around the house. They'd been fools, running into an unknown situation like that. Should have taken their time, should have called for backup or just torched the entire building. Too late for that now.  
  
Itachi pushed himself up from the couch and strode over to Sasuke. Sasuke had to control himself so he didn’t visibly flinch as Itachi crouched down in front of him. “I thought you would have put up a tougher fight, little brother,” he said.   
  
Sasuke felt his lips pull into a sneer, but he didn’t say anything, even though the effort not to made his body tremble. He had thought he had prepared, thought he was strong enough, but no amount of preparation could have readied himself for the moment when he saw Itachi again, saw the body that had once been his beloved big brother but now housed evil. He had wanted to free Itachi, give his body rest like his soul already had, but he had failed him, had failed Naruto, had failed everyone.  
  
He had never been strong enough had he? Itachi was always miles ahead and apparently that hadn’t changed in the least. Sasuke was just never good enough, and now his failure hadn’t just affected himself, but Naruto as well. He never should have allowed Naruto to come along, should have left alone. It was his revenge, he was supposed to get it or die trying, and maybe that wouldn't have been so bad after all. At least Naruto would have been safe and well, and only Sasuke would die here tonight.  
  
Sasuke didn’t fear death, he feared not dying completely. Feared that his body would become a vessel for a demon, turning him into something evil, just because he was too weak. He would not allow himself to become that which he hated more than anything. If he couldn't get his revenge he would just have to do the second best thing and ensure that at least Itachi wouldn’t be able to use his body. He would have to find a way to kill himself quickly, rendering his remains useless.   
  
He mentally went through the weapons he had brought along. The belt around his hips was gone so that would have taken away most of his weapons. His katana was likewise nowhere to be found. No gun were digging into his ribs, and as he rolled slightly to the side he realised that the knife he had stuck in his pocket was gone as well. Itachi had ensured to remove any sharp or potentially harmful objects from his reach, and with the way he was tied with his arms at his back he probably wouldn't have been able to do anything even if he had a weapon close by.  
  
“Just get it over with,” he said, slumping against the floor. He wanted to make some demanded that he’d trade his life if they only let Naruto go, but that would only show how important Naruto was to him, and it wasn’t like he was in a position to make deals anyways.   
  
Itachi rose and strode across the room. Sasuke trailed him with his eyes as Itachi stopped in front of the fireplace and grabbed something lying on top of it. Sasuke recognized it immediately. His katana. The only thing he had ever made someone fetch him from the house since it was closed off almost twenty years ago. The katana he had killed countless vampires with, the katana he had always envisioned would be the one to end this vampire that posed as his brother’s vile existence.   
  
Pale fingers enclosed around the hilt and with a smooth motion Itachi pulled it from its sheath, holding it up towards the light, inspecting the way the metal of the blade rippled as he gently twisted it.   
  
“Seems fitting,” he mused as his thumb traced the Uchiha crest carved into the blade right near the hilt.  
  
The blond vampire, who up to now had just been quietly sitting on the couch, seemed to have run out of patience. “Let’s just finish this already, yeah? I could just blow him up you know. It would be spectacular.”  
  
“Deidara,” Itachi said, his voice low and empty of any amusement, as if that word alone told this Deidara so much more.  
  
The blond vampire scowled when Sasuke looked back at him, but shut up, although the arms crossed in front of his chest made it easy to see he was not happy.   
  
Itachi weighed the weapon in his hand, bringing it around his body in a slow move, testing it. Sasuke knew well how the blade handled. Wielded correctly it was an extension of his body, as much a part of him as his fingers.   
  
Itachi brought it up and sent it forward in a smooth slash that ended with the tip aimed directly at Sasuke. Sasuke fought back the flinch his body wanted to react with and kept his eyes trained on Itachi, ignoring the blade directed at him. A clean death he could deal with, would gladly stare it in the white of the eye as it claimed him.   
  
Time dragged as the two stared at each other, man and vampire, the tension settling heavy over the room.   
  
A sudden slam of a door and agitated voices snapped the tension, and Sasuke’s head twisted to the side as he instantly recognised the voice that was spitting out curses.   
  
Naruto.  
  
He was being dragged into the room, eyes narrow and mouth running as he protested the wereshark's manhandling of him. Then blue eyes swept the room and ended up on Sasuke, and he instantly shut up, mouth snapping shut so fast he probably cracked a tooth. _The idiot_ , Sasuke thought to himself, but there was nothing behind the insult anymore but affection. Give it to Naruto to not come quietly.  
  
Seeing him, alive and well, albeit a bit bruised, seemed to fill Sasuke with a new kindled hope he hadn't had moments before, and he hated it, because it wasn’t fair. Wasn't fair that Naruto was dragged into his shit because Sasuke wasn’t strong enough.   
  


***

  
Itachi’s lips twitched into a grin as he surveyed Sasuke. He saw the way Sasuke’s shoulders tensed as the shifter was dragged into the room, saw his eyes widen marginally before he got his reaction under control. Sasuke was good. He almost fooled him. Itachi was better though, Itachi saw the smallest of signs and knew exactly what it meant. This shifter meant something to Sasuke. Whether they actually were lovers, or Sasuke just wanted them to be, he didn’t know, but Sasuke cared about the shifter, it was clear in his reaction. He didn’t want the shifter here, because he was afraid of what would happen to him.   
  
_Smart boy._  
  
Itachi grabbed Sasuke by the back of his sweater and hauled him to his feet. Sasuke spun around and glared at him, and Itachi barely had a moment to react as Sasuke leapt at him. He stopped the head-butt that had been aimed at him and yanked Sasuke around so his back pressed up against Itachi’s chest. With a hand wrapped around his jaw tightening enough to show how little it would take Itachi to pull that jaw straight off Sasuke stilled.   
  
“Little brother, I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he said in a low whisper. “There is no telling what will happen to the shifter if you anger me.”  
  
Sasuke didn’t need to know that the shifter was doomed either way. It would be that much sweeter to get his hopes up only to crush him again.   
  
With Sasuke pressed this close Itachi could smell the sweet scent of his blood wafting from his skin. It was pulsing right in front of him, and it would be so easy to lean forward and dig his fangs deep into that carotid artery and just drench every last drop of blood from his body. He drew a deep breath and shuddered. The scent brought back memories of the taste, the sweet copper spreading on his tongue as he drank earlier. He’d barely been able to stop himself then, but he had, because his mind was stronger than his instincts.   
  
No, he needed to be patient. He’d get a taste of that blood soon enough, and by then it would be laced thickly with pain and hurt and despair, and it would be that much sweeter.   
  
Besides, he had greater plans for Sasuke than to merely kill him. He could have done so easily if he had wanted to, but he needed him alive for a little while longer, to ensure his plan went through beautifully.  
  
There hadn’t been much of a plan behind leaving Sasuke alive two decades ago, when he was a snivelling brat, face wet with tear and body shaking in utter fear. Itachi had merely enjoyed the look of utter devastation on his face, and was sated from draining their parents, so letting him live with the pain held more appeal than killing him did. Make the little brat fear him, make sure he never forgot what had happened, make sure he’d never move on. He’d left with some parting words he was sure would haunt him, and then promptly forgot about him as he travelled the world, gorging on blood and pleasure, never staying in one place for too long. He spent his newfound freedom from the demon realm doing all the things he had longed for.  
  
Eventually it got boring. Parties and death and torture could only hold his appeal for so long. His host body had a sharp mind, and he found he needed more than the usual debauchery to keep himself entertained, so he started researching the world, thirsty for knowledge. He couldn't remember actually caring much about anything back before he got his vessel, so he wasn't sure if this thirst for knowledge came from himself or was merely how the brain of Itachi was wired, affecting him, but it mattered little.  
  
What he had learned had eventually created this plan of his. There was a metaphysical veil that separated the human world from the demon world, and the only thing that could rip holes in it was when a human was killed with vampire blood in their body, a whole pseudo-scientific, old school magical way no one quite seemed to agree on how worked . This was common enough knowledge, but what had become apparent was that there were more to it. The demons were always clawing at the veil, desperate to get out of their ruin of a dimension to the human realm. It would have made sense that the strongest demons got through, but Itachi found more often than not that the weaker demons had managed to push through. He was one of the exceptions himself, being of one of the strongest demon classes, and he couldn’t believe that it was all coincidence, so he travelled and researched through coercion and magic, and finally learned that the holes in the veil varied greatly in size, and the stronger a demon the larger the hole would have to be to let its energy past.   
  
At first Itachi had no idea what ensured that some kills lead to small rips while other tore great big tears through the fabric of space, but as he kept digging and experimenting and learning he found the truth.  
  
_Only of true despair the strongest vampires are born._  
  
Any person willingly giving up their life to become one of the undead, dying happily, only became vessels for the weakest of vampires. Easily lost to blood lust they were… disposable at best. Easy to kill, low in power they were mostly a nuisance.   
  
People dying with screams of pain in their throat ripped bigger holes through the fabric of space and time, and stronger demons could push through. They had more control, higher abilities, but were still far from Itachi’s level.  
  
Filled with this new knowledge Itachi had looked at the world with new eyes. He saw how his fellow vampire brethren were little more than wild dogs, running rampant and being put down by a human race growing more and more accustomed to their presence. As it was Itachi could only envision one end. Humanity was going to eradicate them. Humans were smart and adaptable where vampires cared for little more than where their next meal was coming from.   
  
Vampires were physically stronger, but it mattered little when humans evolved and vampires stayed the same mindless killers. Weak demons ran rampant, useless and out of control. It became clear that there was only one route to go to ensure the future of his kind. Someone would have to take control and steer their kind to their rightful place as rulers of this world. Itachi would create a new clan strong enough to rule over vampires, would ensure that their population were controlled, that they stopped acting like dogs.  
  
The top tiers of demons, the truly strong ones, could only get through when the vessel to be was torn apart by anguish and despair. Physical pain only did so much; their minds had to be ripped apart as well. It had taken quite a few… tests before he had managed it well enough to allow Deidara to join their ranks. Stronger than most, but impatient and rash, he had been Itachi's working second hand for the last six months, ever since his rebirth. It wasn't enough though, Itachi needed to break the human even more completely to allow a demon truly worthy of being his second in command through. Something as devastating as what had once allowed him this body he had claimed as his.  
  
When Kakuzu and Hidan had first approached him and told him about who they’d met in Las Vegas Itachi had realised who the perfect second in command would be, the one that would stand by his side as they reshaped this world into something new. The Uchihas were strong of mind and body, and with their background breaking Sasuke would be hard but doable. If Sasuke was anything like Itachi’s own vessel had been it would take a lot more than fear of pain and death to push him to that brink that would eventually lead to someone of actual power to possess the remains of his body, but the combination of the feelings of failure that would be tearing at him already combined with the upcoming death of the shifter he obviously cared for; there was no doubt in Itachi’s mind that his second in command would be a force to be reckoned with.   
  
But first he would have to be broken.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished this in the room of the inn we're staying at in Washington DC, because of course I'm gonna write even if I'm on vacation. :3 Plans are revealed, Sasuke and Naruto is still alive, and we're drawing closer to the end. :)


	32. Chapter 32

_19 years ago_

Itachi stepped silently down the grand staircase, avoiding the steps that had a creak to them. The house was quiet around him, but he knew his mother woke at the smallest of sounds, and he didn't want to explain what he was doing sneaking out the house at one a.m. when he had a very definitive midnight curfew on weekends. Not that he thought he would get much of a punishment, considering he never did anything wrong.

There was a general consensus among his parents and teachers that Itachi Uchiha was very mature for a sixteen year old. Top of his class, a black belt in judo and president of the debate club he was responsible, dependable and overall someone other parents pointed to when they wanted their kids to behave better.

Itachi knew this, and didn't really mind. He knew that to get somewhere in the world he had to be best, so he did what he needed to do. _You should be more like the Uchiha kid_ , they'd say, much to the annoyance of the recipient of the scolding.

But underneath all that Itachi was still a teenager and even someone as mature as him could fall prey to hormones.

Like most nights he had gone to bed at eleven p.m., but soon found himself drawn into rather dirty dreams, all pale skin and dark hair and kisses and touches, which led to him waking a little over an hour later, erection tenting the sheets, body flushed with arousal.

He could've just taken care of it himself, but after that dream, with pictures of who he had been dreaming about too clear on his mind his hand had been a lousy substitute for the real thing. He wanted a warm body sliding against his, wanted the soft touch of _him_.

After a few minutes of nibbling furiously on his bottom lip as he stroked himself and finally came to the conclusion that it wasn't going to be enough, not tonight, he grabbed his phone from the nightstand and went to his recent messages, finding _his_ name.

Anticipation was rushing through his veins as he sent off a quick message and impatiently waited for the answer, hoping hewasn't asleep yet.

 _'Come over'_ the answering message that ticked in two minutes later said, and it took Itachi less than three minutes to pull on his jeans and a sweater before he moved down the staircase, shoes in his hand.

Itachi Uchiha was responsible and intelligent, but he was also hopelessly in love with someone he couldn't let his parents know about.

* * *

He smoothed a hand over his hair, making sure it was neatly tied back in a loose ponytail as he walked up the flights of stairs leading to _his_ apartment, a hand lifting to knock on the door. He'd walked here before, but every time had a swarm of butterflies flit to life if in his gut. So many times he'd told himself that he needed to break this thing of theirs off, but he knew he was in too deep, knew he would never be able to stay away from him for long until the yearning in his very gut grew too strong.

The moment Itachi saw Shisui his face split into a very uncharacteristic grin. He took a step forward, trying to push that grin away, not wanting to appear completely like the smitten teenager that he was, but he knew he was busted when Shisui's lips quirked.

"Hi," Itachi said, fighting back the grin for a look of indifference, as if he hadn't just rushed to get here. He was failing miserably, and not really caring that he did.

"Hi," Shisui answered softly. Itachi let his gaze roam over him, from the way his short dark hair seemed to go every which way in a mess of soft waves, across a tight t-shirt that shoved an outline of muscles beneath and to his feet, different coloured socks on either. God, he had missed Shisui.

He looked back at his face and saw the flicker of amusement in Shisui's dark eyes before the older boy reached for the front of his shirt so he could yank Itachi forward into his arms.

"I missed you," he muttered against Itachi's lips before claiming them in a hard kiss. Itachi melted into it, wrapping his arms around Shisui's strong shoulders as the tension in his shoulders seeped away to be replaced by warm lust coiling in his gut.

He hated that he had to sneak out to meet Shisui, but he knew it was for the best. Telling his parents would mean not only admit that he was gay, but also admit that he was in a relationship with someone in his own family. He couldn't quite remember what they were, second cousins, third cousins? Not that it would matter much, it was still likely to be frowned upon, and he didn't want what he had with Shisui to be tainted by that.

Besides, it was kind of nice to have something that was just his, something no one else knew about. For once in his life he could forget about what he should be, and just be what he wanted to be, and right now all he wanted to be was Shisui's.

At nineteen years old Shisui had moved out from his parent's home to live in a small studio, and it had made meeting him all the more easy. Where they before had to sneak around their parents Itachi now just needed to get out without them knowing and he could spend hours here, with Shisui, forgetting all about the rest of the world for a short while.

"I missed you, too," Itachi murmured into the kiss as his fingers buried themselves in Shisui's soft hair. "I want you," he added for good measure when Shisui didn't immediately start undressing him.

Shisui chuckled into the kiss as he wrapped his arms around Itachi, lifting him and heading towards the bed. He had been adamant not to do anything beyond kissing until Itachi reached the age of consent, and had made up for that by giving him a very pleasurable birthday present when Itachi turned sixteen a few months ago. Ever since that time Itachi had found it hard not to want Shisui naked and moaning when they were together. He blamed hormones.

Just as Shisui toppled them to the mattress the first scream erupted from the hallway. The two of them froze, heads snapping towards the sound just as another one joined in. Itachi had never heard screams just like that before. Whoever was screamed seemed genuinely terrified, their voices breaking from the strain the scream was putting on them.

"Wait here," Shisui said as he rose from the bed, walking towards the door.

"Shisui!" Itachi hissed.

"I'm just going to take a quick look," he said back as he grabbed a baseball bat that had been leaning against the door, as if he was prepared for something to go down. Itachi frowned. It wasn't exactly an upscale neighbourhood like the one he grew up in, but it wasn't the shadier part of town either.

He felt useless sitting there on the bed, so he scooted off it, landing on the floor quietly as another scream issued through the hallway, this time from a man. Something was happening out there. A robbery gone wrong? A lover's spat turned vicious?

Itachi was more than proficient in judo, so he knew he could defend himself if it ever came to that, but he was also smart enough to know that a robber with a gun would kill him easily before he could pull any of his moves, so if anything was going on their best bet would be to call the police.

He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, dialling 911 but not pressing the call button just yet, in case it really was nothing going on. It was a decision he would come to regret for the rest of his very short life.

It all happened so fast. Shisui peered into the hallway, and then the next moment the door was just about ripped off its hinges as it burst open, slamming into the wall. Shisui was thrown backwards by the impact, his head smacking hard against the floor as he hit it. Itachi dropped the phone and rushed towards his lover, only to halt when he saw the shadow standing where the door had been, tall and intimidating.

Red eyes.

Itachi's own eyes widened as realisation flooded him like ice water.

 _Vampires_.

No. No no no.

He knew about them of course, everyone did. He had just hoped that he'd never have to meet any, because he knew that no matter how good he was at martial arts he would not stand a chance against a vampire, not unarmed.

His eyes flicked to the side as he heard a moan from Shisui as one of his hands lifted to clutch at his head. Then Itachi noticed the baseball bat lying next to him, and he reacted instantaneously, leaping towards it.

Anything sharp or silver would have been preferable, but right now this was the closest thing he had to a weapon, so it would have to do.

He heard the flutter of fabric and the thump of heavy boots as the vampire sprung into action, and his martial arts training had him react immediately, falling into a roll that had him out of reach and close enough to the bat that he could lock his fingers around the wood. He came to his knees right next to Shisui.

There were no time for any check-ups or warning, so Itachi merely flowed to his feet, graceful as always, and swung around. The heavy wood of the bat smashed into the vampire's shoulder, sending it stumbling to the side, obviously not prepared for its prey to fight back.

Itachi lifted the bat over his shoulder and put all his strength into it as he aimed for the vampire's head as it snapped towards him with a sneer that showed off sharp fangs. He hoped that bashing its skull in might be enough to stop it, at least long enough for someone to come and help them. Someone should have been able to call 911 by now; a single vampire couldn't take out an entire apartment building by itself. Some neighbour would have heard and not hesitated to call.

The bat connected with a satisfying crunch, and the vampire crumpled to the floor. Itachi figured he wasn't some idiotic person from a horror movie, so he was intending to finish the job and not leave the thing to come back and kill him the moment he turned his back when he heard a low growl.

His body spun back towards the doorway, and what he saw had his heart sink to his stomach, dread settling over him.

There was a rustling from his side, and out of his peripheral vision Itachi saw Shisui get to his feet, looking sluggish. He'd obviously banged his head hard as he hit the floor. Fuck. He really needed Shisui clearheaded right now. Itachi was already running through possible outcomes in his head, and with the two vampires standing in the doorway, staring at them, eyes flashing red and lips pulled back from their fangs… It wasn't looking very good.

"Shisui, do you have anything silver?" Itachi asked in a low voice, eyes locked on the two vampires.

Finally Shisui seemed to pull out of it, his body instantly tensing next to Itachi. "Shit!"

Itachi's fingers tightened around the wood in his hands as Shisui assessed the situation. It shouldn't surprise Itachi that it took a mere split second for him to gather himself and prepare. Shisui stuck his hand underneath the collar of his t-shirt and pulled out a thin chain that hung around his neck. A quick yank broke the clasp, and Shisui wrapped it around his hand, tightening it into a fist. His shoulders squared off.

 _Why aren't they attacking yet_ , Itachi thought, finding the two shadows looming in the doorway more than a little disconcerting. They were just standing there, looking at the two of them, as if they were waiting for something or someone. This was obviously not crazed vampires. They were calculating and planning, and that just made the situation even worse.

"Itachi, the top kitchen drawer. Get the knife with the wooden handle. It's not silver, but it sharp, so it should slow them down." Shisui's voice was steady, and the calmness of it seeped into Itachi, reassuring him. They could do this. Itachi had already stopped one vampire; they could take down two when they were together. Itachi always felt his strongest when he was around Shisui.

Itachi was backing up towards the kitchen, not willing to turn his back on the two vampires when a scream sounded in the hallway. Both of the vampires snapped towards the origin of the sound for a moment, and then they exploded into action as if that sound was what they had been waiting for all along. Itachi wavered for a second between going back to Shisui to stand by his side and by heading to the kitchen to get the knife.

He would never know if that split second of hesitation was what spelled his downfall. If he had rushed to Shisui's side, would that have made a difference? Or if he had run straight to the kitchen and grabbed the knife, would that have saved them? Or were they always doomed? Had Shisui known this all along and tried to get Itachi away? The kitchen was closest to the fire escape, and the first thing Shisui did when the vampires moved was to call for Itachi to get away, to run and not look back. It would be just like Shisui wouldn't it? To analyse the situation and come to the conclusion that there were no way they were getting out of this alive if they fought back. Shisui was nothing if not selfless, so it would make sense for him to give up his life for Itachi. It would also be like Shisui to realise that these two wouldn't be the only vampires around, that the building was too silent around them and that three vampire wouldn't have been enough to silence everyone.

Itachi reckoned he had made the same realisation, he just hadn't been willing to let the idea fully form, because he wanted too desperately for the both of them to get away, and they wouldn't be able to do that if they were invaded by a full den.

Itachi didn't heed Shisui's words, couldn't leave his lover alone, not when the vampires were upon him and all Shisui had to fight with were his fists and a lousy silver chain. Itachi still had the bat in his hands.

If only they could fend them off long enough to escape, that would be all they needed to do. Stop them and get the hell out of there. They wouldn't need much time, just enough to rush to the window and get it open. They'd leap down the fire escape and vanish into the street. Get help somewhere, hide.

Itachi rushed towards Shisui, thoughts of knife long gone. He could not leave Shisui alone, would not escape while Shisui were doomed to die. Itachi loved him too much for that, would stand by his side, and together they would get out of his.

* * *

The next hour felt like an eternity. An eternity of blood and pain and despair. He forgot how it felt not to be in excruciating pain, forgot that there was a world outside of this room and the shadows with red eyes and sharp fangs that tore their bodies apart, piece by piece. It had been futile. Shisui had fought like a demon, rushing the vampires and dodging with a speed Itachi had no idea where came from. His fist had slammed into the vampires, leaving red lines wherever the silver hit. In the end it wasn't enough. They hadn't stood a chance, not as a third vampire came into the room, and the one whose skull Itachi had bashed in finally came back to its unlife. It didn't take long till they were overpowered, weapons pulled away and bones broken to ensure they wouldn't be able to leave.

The vampires seemed like they'd fed to their hearts content before they got to the two Uchihas, keener on having their twisted version of fun than eating. Itachi's world became an endless vortex of pain.

Shisui died first, and as those beautiful brown eyes turned glassy and Shisui exhaled raggedly once before he stilled Itachi felt his soul torn to pieces. A wail broke from his chest and he collapsed from his kneeling position to the ground, a broken husk of the boy he had been.

A deep chuckle sounded from behind him, but Itachi didn't even hear it anymore. His world zoned in on the broken man in front of him that he had loved more than anything. He couldn't tear his gaze away from the dead eyes, and when salty tears threatened to obscure his vision he blinked furiously, needing to see him.

There were voices behind him discussion something, but Itachi tuned it out. It didn't matter anymore, nothing mattered anymore. The pain from broken bones and lacerated skin faded to the background as the gaping hole that had once been his heart became the sole pain left. He wanted to scream out his pain, but he couldn't draw enough breath to do so, so he laid in silence, his dark eyes locked on that too still body.

When a hand locked around his neck and pulled him to his feet he didn't fight it, he just kept his eyes on Shisui, not seeing the wounds or blood, but the man underneath. He didn't scream as the fangs pierced deep in his neck, nor as a bright light flared through the room, causing the vampire who was feeding from his to yank away, ripping Itachi's neck open. He merely crumpled to the floor and twisted his face to the side so he could once again look at Shisui. He welcomed the death that was sinking over him as a grey fog, hoped that on the other side he would find Shisui, so they could be together again.

If Itachi had not been a broken shadow of his former self he would have realised that the bright light had been a flare grenade, and that the two men who rushed into the room weren't vampires. He would have seen the two men brandishing blades with a practiced ease, would have seen the vampires who had attacked them die for what they had done.

As it was Itachi didn't even notice it when one of the men lobbed off the head of a vampire that had crawled over towards Itachi, intending to finish the meal he had started. Thick, dark blood splattered his face as the vampire died, its body thumping to the floor before slowly disintegrating to ash.

Itachi didn't notice the tang of copper on this lips and tongue as the viscous blood pooled in his mouth. He would have closed his lips, but he was too far gone, broken and dying. The world faded completely, grey fog settling over his eyes and his mind as he exhaled a slow breath and stilled. Itachi died alone and broken, surrounded by the mayhem of a den of crazed vampires and vampire hunters, didn't see that the vampire hunters were soon killed, ripped to pieces, didn't notice as one of the remaining vampires threw his limp body across a filthy shoulder and left the chaos. He didn't smell the gas from the kitchen as the vampire prepared to obliterate any trace of their presence.

The explosion that ripped the apartment building to pieces behind them, destroying what remained of his beloved Shisui Uchiha went unnoticed by him as the vampire blood he had ingested swirled through his dead body, alive where Itachi was not, preparing it for its new inhabitant.

* * *

_Present time_

_A sudden slam of a door and agitated voices snapped the tension, and Sasuke's head twisted to the side as he instantly recognised the voice that was spitting out curses._

_Naruto._

_He was being dragged into the room, eyes narrow and mouth running as he protested the wereshark's manhandling of him. Then blue eyes swept the room and ended up on Sasuke, and he instantly shut up, mouth snapping shut so fast he probably cracked a tooth. The idiot, Sasuke thought to himself, but there was nothing behind the insult anymore but affection. Give it to Naruto to not come quietly._

_Seeing him, alive and well, albeit a bit bruised, seemed to fill Sasuke with a new kindled hope he hadn't had moments before, and he hated it, because it wasn't fair. Wasn't fair that Naruto was dragged into his shit because Sasuke wasn't strong enough._

Sasuke looked away from Naruto, couldn't keep his gaze on him, not when those blue eyes didn't shine with the accusation and hatred they should. Naruto had every reason to hate Sasuke, but at the same time Sasuke knew that would never happen. He didn't think Naruto had it in him to hate anyone, no matter what kind of shit they put him through.

"Sasuke," Itachi said, but Sasuke refused to open his eyes, didn't want to look anymore. It was enough to feel Itachi's pale fingers on his jaw. This way it was easier to remember that the man behind him wasn't what it looked like. Because what he saw was still his big brother, not the demon within. He had been stupid to think he could really keep the two apart long enough to kill his brother. He was too weak.

His name was repeated again, but this time it wasn't in Itachi's voice, it was Naruto's. Sasuke's eyes fluttered open as if he had no control over his own body at all, as if Naruto was all it was focused on. The pull of his voice drew him in like a moth to the flame and he had no way of fighting it.

A dried smear of blood on Naruto's forehead showed that he had hit his head at some point, but he didn't seem too worried about it. No, his worry seemed to be directed solely on Sasuke, and while the knowledge that he was the one Naruto cared this much about sent warmth flowing through his chest it also made him realise that there was no way Itachi wasn't picking up on the feelings between them. Naruto had never been able to hide his emotions, wearing them proudly on his face for all to see, and anyone would be able to see the love and fear on his face right now.

Sasuke scrunched his eyes shut again to stop the tears that wanted to overflow them. He was not going to cry. He was an Uchiha, and Uchihas didn't surrender to hopelessness, they fought back. Sasuke was not giving up; he was going to find some way to get out of this, or at the very least get Naruto out of this. As long as Naruto got out alive nothing else really mattered.

Taking a shuddering breath he looked up again, and this time pushed emotions to the back of his mind as he allowed reason to rule him again. A quick glance over Naruto's body showed that his weapons had been removed at some point, and the slightly hunched over way he was standing and the way he winced when the shark shoved him forwards would suggest he had taken some damage to the chest. Possibly a broken rib, because it took a lot to harm Naruto enough that he showed it. His arms were wrenched behind his back, but Sasuke couldn't tell what was holding them there, if it was rope or handcuffs. Rope Naruto could get out of, but handcuffs might be harder.

Sasuke looked to the man standing behind Naruto, large hand resting on Naruto's shoulder. The wereshark was tall and broad, and his lips couldn't quite close around the mouthful of jagged teeth. The shark was the one who had hurt Naruto, there was no doubt in Sasuke's mind, and a part of Sasuke was cataloguing him in the to-be-killed category, coolly calculating how he could destroy him later on for laying as much as a finger on his Naruto.

"Deidara," Itachi said, his mouth close enough that Sasuke could feel the cool exhalation of air over his neck. He shuddered. Normal breath would be warm and comforting, but Itachi's was cold, sending a shiver down Sasuke's back. Itachi's body didn't need to be warm anymore, because Itachi was dead and this was just the empty shell he left behind, and Sasuke could kill him, could do this, if only he could get away and find a weapon and…

The fingers around his jaw tightened as his head was tilted up, Itachi making sure he was watching Naruto as the blond vampire Itachi has been calling Deidara sauntered up to where Naruto was standing. The resemblance between the two stopped at the colour of their eyes and hair. Deidara's hair was long and tied back in a high ponytail, showing off a long neck decorated with thick ridges of scar. The bite that once turned him, carried like a badge of honour.

His skin was pale in comparison to Naruto's, and his body slimmer, but Sasuke knew that looks were deceiving, because the strength coiled in those slender arms could rival that of five normal men. Naruto wasn't normal in any way|, but his arms were bound and that put him at a serious disadvantage.

A pale hand reached for Naruto's face, and Naruto flinched away from it, nose scrunching up in disgust.

"He's beautiful, yeah?" the blond vampire said as he ignored Naruto's attempt to get away in favour of running his hand down the skin of one cheek. "Like a piece of art…"

Sasuke couldn't stop the way his body tightened at those words, hated it, hated the vampire touching Naruto like that, like he was just some object to be admired.

"It makes me want to shove a bomb down his throat," Deidara continued as he placed his thumb on Naruto's bottom lip and pushed the flesh down, parting his lips slightly, baring his clenched teeth. "It would look amazing, yeah? His guts plastered around the room like an abstract painting."

It took Sasuke a moment to realise that the sound he was hearing was a low growl from his own throat and that the reason he hadn't attacked Deidara yet was because Itachi was holding him back, an arm wrapped around his chest like a band of steel.

"Now, now, little brother. Be a good boy and watch. This is all for you after all," Itachi purred against his ear.

"Let him go," Sasuke spat out through his clenched jaw. "I'll do whatever you want, just let him go."

Sasuke couldn't quite contain the flinch as Deidara drew back an arm and punched Naruto in the gut hard enough that air left him in a gasp as he curled in on himself. Sasuke strained against Itachi's arms, reaching towards his lover, wanting to do anything he could to get him out of there, hating to see him in pain, afraid of what would happen to him later.

Itachi laughed, the sound low and grating in Sasuke's ears.

"You just keep on watching," he said. "We're doing all of this for you, so you need to appreciate it."

"He's not part of this Itachi, just… let him go. I'll do whatever you want. I'll let you turn me or kill me. I have no idea what you want, but I'll do it if you just let him go." Sasuke didn't care how pathetic the pleading made him sound. He would do whatever he could to ensure that Naruto came out alive. His own life didn't matter as long as Naruto was alive.

"Get to you knees," Itachi ordered, and although his body fought him Sasuke did as he was told, dropping to the floor the moment Itachi let the arm around him loosen. His mind was working frantically, bouncing between fear and hatred and the small rational part that was still trying to come up with a plan to get Naruto out alive and Itachi dead on the floor.

A weight on his back pushed Sasuke forward, and he barely had time to catch himself as his chest was pressed into the floor, a foot heavy on his back. His head was twisted to the side by a sharp yank of his hair to ensure that he would keep on watching Naruto.

"Naruto. I need you to fight. Shift and get out of here," he said, his voice appearing calm even with the turmoil of feelings swirling in his mind. His palm was splayed along the floor as his arm unconsciously reached for him in a blatant contradiction of what he had just said as if his body couldn't accept not being with Naruto. Sasuke knew that the chance of the both of them getting out of here was pretty much gone, and he would accept his fate if only Naruto would do as he fucking told him for once and just save himself.

"Oh, little brother. That's not at all how it's going to go," Itachi said as something sharp dug into the back of his hand. Sasuke's eyes flicked down long enough to watch as the katana he had used to execute dozens of vampires was pushed through his flesh. A sharp scream tore from his throat before he could stop it as the blade went through and effectively pinned him to the ground.

"I can't, I can't," Naruto stuttered out, his eyes wide as he started struggling against Kisame's grip on him.

"Naruto, don't be afraid to give in to it now, I know you can control it, please!" Sasuke gritted out, biting back the groan of pain as Itachi twisted the blade that pierced through his hand.

"It could kill you too!" Naruto yelled back as Kisame's arms wrapped firmly around his chest, pinning him to his larger body, holding him in place.

Sasuke saw the reluctance to give in to the beast plastered over Naruto's face as fear. He'd been fighting the beast within for so long the thought to give into it was probably unfathomable by now. Sasuke didn't care. He needed to get Naruto to realise that this was the only way he would get out alive. Without weapons they weren't a match against Itachi and his minions, but Naruto carried a weapon inside, Naruto _was_ a weapon. Sasuke didn't care if letting the beast out meant that it ended up killing him as well, because he would much rather die at the hands of Naruto than to end up becoming the thing he had fought against for most of his life. He hated the fact that it would torment Naruto, but as long as he was alive he would be able to move on and live the life he should live, safe, without Sasuke ruining it.

"Naruto!" he yelled, trying to convey all that in a single word. The silent shake of Naruto's head infuriated him. Why was he being so stubborn, why couldn't he see that this was the only way they would get out alive? Why wouldn't he just listen for once?

A memory from a few days ago flashed to his mind.

_The beast, he scares me. I am afraid he will consume me completely if I let go, he's so strong._

Naruto feared losing control more than anything, feared what would happen if the beast took him over. Sasuke could understand that fear, but right now they didn't have a lot else to do. It was the only way he could see Naruto getting out of here alive, and right now that was all that mattered.

"Naruto, I know you can keep it under control, you are too strong to let it win, just—" his voice cut off momentarily as the blond vampire reached into a pocket, pulling out a knife. He wiggled it in Sasuke's direction with a wicked grin on his face, showing off his elongated canines as his eyes bled from blue to red.

Sasuke forgot about the sword through his hand and the heavy weight on his back from Itachi's boot. All he could see was the knife and how close to Naruto Deidara was standing.

"No!" he screamed as he tried to get out from under Itachi, pain from his hand ignored as he tugged at it, not caring if he ripped the appendage clean off.

The weight on his back shifted as Itachi kneeled, knee digging into his back as his hand fisted his Sasuke's hair, tightening as he pressed his head into the floor, making sure his face was directed right at Naruto.

"This is all because of you Sasuke. If you were stronger you could have protected him, but now you have to watch as he dies, and then I'm going to kill you, and his cold blood will be the first thing you drink, and you will feast on it as if it is the most delicious thing you've ever tasted." Itachi's voice poison in Sasuke's mind, the words spelling out Sasuke's biggest fear.

It felt as if someone had driven a lance of pure fire through his chest as pain and horror flooded him. No. No! He wouldn't allow it, couldn't let them kill Naruto, anything but that.

"Naruto," he pleaded, and the rush of relief that flooded him when he saw Naruto's eyes steel and he realised what that meant was almost enough for him to believe for a moment that this was going to be alright. He could see it now, Naruto letting his beast out, tearing through the vampires before he left for a better life, strong and magnificent.

Naruto's lips peeled back from his teeth as he glared at Deidara, and then his eyes flashed bright red. Sasuke felt the knee in his back dig into his spine as Itachi shifted on top of him, and then Deidara was frowning, looking over at them as Naruto's teeth started shifting into fangs, and he started pulling against the arms holding him in place. Sasuke could see the shark's grip falter against Naruto's growing strength, and then—

Red eyes widened suddenly, and it took Sasuke a moment to realise just what was wrong as Naruto's mouth dropped open, a gasp leaving his mouth. Deidara wasn't hovering idly beside Naruto anymore, he was standing pressed up against him, fist pressed to Naruto's stomach, the handle of the knife the only thing still showing past pale fingers.

Naruto groaned, and Sasuke could see how his muscles tensed as he lifted his head slowly, red eyes boring into Deidara's still blue ones. Then Deidara grinned and ripped his hand upwards. The knife that had been embedded in Naruto's gut slid through his body with ease, ripping him open. Blood sprayed Deidara's front in a fountain of red as he pulled the knife away, leaving Naruto to stare down at his body in apparent disbelief.

Even from across the room Sasuke could see the thick streams of blood and the pink of flesh beneath, could see the one he loved torn apart.

The shark let go of his chest and stepped away, and Naruto looked over at Sasuke as if he couldn't comprehend just what was happening, eyes back to blue, big in shock. As Sasuke watched those brilliant blue eyes seemed to lose their focus as Naruto's strength left him and he dropped to his knees. His arms twitched as if he wanted to do something to stop the bleeding, but he was still bound. He glanced in Sasuke's direction again, and then heavy eyelids closed and he fell, sprawling awkwardly on the floor in an ever growing pool of red.

Sasuke watched the scene in frozen horror, his mind not able to comprehend just what was happening. There was so much blood. Too much blood. Naruto's blood, and now he wasn't moving and…

A choked sound ripped from his throat.

* * *

Itachi knew this was the moment. Sasuke was frozen in shock underneath him, and he could almost taste how his mind was breaking down as he watched the lifeless body in front of him. He had planned to torment him further, but then the shifter had started changing, and the plans had changed.

The shifter… there had been something off about him. The way his eyes turned red like that, Itachi had never seen that in any shifter before. As far as he knew only demons had red eyes, and the blond had very obviously not been a vampire. He almost wished they wouldn't have had to kill him, because he was growing curious, his mind instantly spinning through memories of years of research, seeing if he could place the shifter somewhere among the dozens upon dozens of creatures who walked or had walked this earth.

Oh well, there were no need to worry about that now, the shifter was bleeding out in front of them, his use played out as Sasuke shattered, pushed to the brink by yet another death he could not prevent.

"Look at what you caused, Sasuke." he said around his fangs. They were growing as he spoke in preparation of the imminent feeding, making it harder to enunciate the words properly. "He's dead because of you, because you couldn't protect him. You are weak, useless, and everything you touch die," he continued, feeling how each word chipped away one more piece of Sasuke's soul, leaving only pain behind.

He had no guarantees the plan would work, that the pain was deep enough to rip someone worthy through the veil, but this was as good as it would get. He would get his second in command tomorrow, someone strong and capable that would forever be connected to him through the blood sacrifice Itachi would make to split open the veil.

Itachi peered up and saw that Kisame had walked over to the couch and was sitting down, seemingly disinterested in anything going on, while Deidara was licking the blade that had carved open the shifter.

"This is some potent shit, yeah?" he said with a grin as he noticed Itachi looking at him. "Almost a shame to kill him." He stuck a bloodied finger in his mouth and sucked off every drop of red, eyes closed in apparent enjoyment.

Itachi didn't care about shifter blood now, he was more interested in the rich sweetness that was wafting off from the body beneath him and how it would taste on his tongue when he finally bit down and drained every drop of blood from the still body underneath him.

He leaned closer, using the hand wrapped around Sasuke's hair to tilt his head to the side, and the way Sasuke didn't even fight it told Itachi that he was ready, that he had given up completely.

The skin broke easily around his fangs, and Sasuke didn't even react to the pain. The coppery taste of the blood that smeared on his tongue as Itachi locked his lips around the wound had him moan. Sweet and rich and laced with the spice of pain it was everything he had longed for. Soon everything else faded, and all that mattered was the sweet taste of blood.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How many beloved characters can I hurt and/or kill in a single chapter? Apparently quite a few! :3 –whistles innocently-
> 
> (Two chapters to go after this one!)


	33. Chapter 33

Deidara dropped the bloodied knife onto a side table and wiped his hands against his pants before lifting them to his hair to tighten his ponytail. His clothes were a mess of blood, but there was no reason to do anything about that just yet.   
  
He glanced across the room to where Itachi was kneeling on the floor, face buried in the crook of the younger Uchiha’s neck. Truth be told, Deidara wasn’t too stoked on this whole turning Itachi’s little brother thing. He had pieced together enough of the plan by now, knew that Itachi hoped to pull a strong demon through from the other side to help him with whatever plans of grandeur he had, but Deidara didn’t see why. They had a good enough life as it was. Killing when they felt like, the occasional fucking if he could convince Itachi to give in. They had fun and they ruled the night wherever they were, what more could they really need?   
  
There was no stopping Itachi though, so Deidara just went along with the plan. He wasn’t afraid of being pushed aside just because a potentially stronger vampire were mixed into their as of yesterday very small group, but he figured there was always a possibility of just that happening. Deidara would have to show Itachi that he was a force to be reckoned with.  
  
Right now he had cleaning to do though. It wouldn't do to leave the shifter on the floor to bleed out and then slowly rot away. It would be better to just dispose of the body immediately. He had no idea how long they’d use the Uchiha manor as a base before moving on, and he’d rather not have to step over rotten carcasses when moving through the rooms.  
  
Deidara leaned over and yanked the limp body up off the floor and slung it over his shoulder. Blood soon soaked into Deidara’s shirt as the wound he had left in the shifter’s gut pressed up against him. He’d probably get all sorts of disgusting insides all over himself. The shirt was well beyond washing at this point. Pity, it looked damned good on him.  
  
He left the room, figuring he’d dump the body outside to bleed out, and then he could get Kisame to dig a hole for it later on. Deidara was definitely not going to do it. Itachi probably wouldn’t like it if he started blowing holes in the garden with explosives, and no way was Deidara going to demean himself by getting a shovel and actually digging one himself. It was what they had employed the shark for wasn’t it, to do their dirty business? It wouldn’t be the first body he had to dispose of after all.   
  
The shifter’s body was surprisingly warm where it hung. He seemed almost feverish, but Deidara didn’t see why his body would spend its last bits of energy on something as foolish as running a fever.   
  
Deidara lost himself in musings about Itachi and how he could convince him to celebrate their victory by screwing him senseless later when heat ripped across his shoulder like the lash of a whip. Deidara hissed in a mix of surprise and pain and dumped the body he was carrying on the floor.   
  
It landed in a sprawl on its back, legs at an awkward angle, arms still bound behind its back. Deidara lifted a hand to his shoulder and was surprised to find that his skin was still unreasonably warm where the shifter had been lying a moment earlier. It felt like he’d burned himself on hot water, the skin sensitive to the touch.  
  
Deidara peered down at the body on the ground, eyebrows pulled into a frown of disbelief. The source of the heat seemed very apparent now. The shifter's gut seemed to be aflame. A shimmer was flickering across his broken flesh, not really flames, more like the heatwaves seen over asphalt on a really warm day, only tinged in red.  
  
Deidara took a hesitant step backwards. “What the hell..?” he muttered to himself. He had no idea what was going on. He’d never seen a body do anything like this before, and it certainly wasn’t the first shifter Deidara had ever killed. They usually just died and stayed that way like good little corpses. What was going on now? Was the shifter pulling some kind of spontaneous combustion move? It certainly would make Deidara’s job easier, but he wasn’t sure that setting the house on fire, accidentally or not, would really put him on Itachi’s good side.  
  
The body on the ground suddenly twisted, its back arching off the ground in a violent twitch. The hallway filled with the sound of snapping bones, as if its entire spine was cracking and realigning. Then, as soon as it started, the body fell back down as if it was a puppet with its strings cut, heat waves gone as if they had never been there. Deidara had still no idea what was going on, but he figured it was some sort of death cramp or something. Weird shit, but nothing Deidara really cared about.   
  
He used the tip of his boot to push the body over on its stomach and leaned down to grab the shackles. His shoulder still stung from the heat, so he was not about to risk carrying the damned thing again. He’d just use the shackles and drag the damned body outside. Then they’d get it stuffed in a grave, and it could burn to its heart’s content for all Deidara cared.  
  
Damned Itachi and this fucking plan of his. Turning Sasuke better be worth all the hassle. They’d already lost most of their little worker bees earlier, leaving only Itachi, Kisame and Deidara left in the house. Sure, they still had a fair few vampires in their newly formed clan, but they were elsewhere, mostly still in their last den.  
  
“Fucking Sasuke, making so much work for me,” he muttered to himself. “Should’ve just blown him up, he would’ve been more useful that way.”   
  
Deidara growled some more to himself when he realised that with the way the shifter’s arms were bound behind its back he couldn't just start dragging it easily, because its damned shoulders just didn’t move that way. He’d have to dislocate the fucking things so he could get this piece of shit shifter out of here already. Deidara was getting bored.  
  
Deidara was tugging at the shackles, willing the arms to bend the right way to make this easier on himself when he noticed a sound past his own mutterings of _fucking Sasuke_ and _I hate clean-ups._ It was little more than a distant sort of hum, but it had Deidara frowning. Also, was it getting warmer in here? He could swear it was getting warmer.   
  
His eyes widened in realisation as he tilted his head downwards to the body on the ground. He couldn’t really see anything out of the ordinary, but he was almost sure the humming was coming from it. Only, it wasn’t really a humming was it, more like a really low-pitched growling?  
  
“That’s not good, yeah,” he whispered to no one in particular as he nudged the limp body with his foot. This shit was just getting weirder by the minute. The shifter should be either dead or on the brink of death by now. There was certainly enough blood trailing across floors and Deidara to warrant that. He should most definitely not be growling or giving off waves of heat.   
  
Deidara was contemplating fetching Kisame to get the shark to deal with this shit when the low growl turned into a full on roar. The body on the floor twitched, its head thrown back, arms straining against the shackles binding it. Eyelids opened, and all Deidara could see was fire. No pupil or iris or sclera, just red, flickering and alive.   
  
Deidara was frozen in surprise as the snap of breaking metal accompanied the destruction of the shackles. The heat was intensifying, waves of it wafting off the shifter as if it was a furnace. Deidara took a step backwards to get away from the heat just as the body curled up against violent spasms, twisting and turning as its body realigned itself. Bones snapped, joints twisted and reformed, and Deidara was frozen, watching in awe. It was…. magnificent. Like a piece of art unfolding in front of his eyes.  
  
The shifter pushed himself to his haunches, his head tipping back as its face started elongating into a muzzle, sharp fangs filling it. His hair spread in a golden wave over what parts of him Deidara could see as the body underneath grew, shoulders widening, arms lengthening, and he was starting to think that something was most definitely wrong with this situation, because the shifter was most definitely not as dead as he had thought it was.   
  


***

  
Kisame sat down on the couch and hooked one ankle over his knee, leaning back and closing his eyes for a moment. All he could hear were soft whimpers and the faint hint of sucking from where Itachi was feeding.   
  
Maybe he should find some food soon as well. These damned vampires tended to forget that Kisame needed actual human food, so he was left to fend for himself most of the time, which meant take-out. And he couldn’t even order it to the house, because the place was technically empty, and it would be kind of idiotic to draw attention to it. Kisame groaned and stretched his neck until it cracked audibly.   
  
He was still not sure why he had ended up in a crowd of vampires, but he had been bored, and somehow being around vampires never got boring. It wasn’t like he had a pack to hang with anyways, weresharks were solitary people for the most part, and the last time he had gotten too close to one it had ended up with a fight. The other shark hadn’t fared too well.  
  
Sure, he was pretty much a glorified guard dog, but what else was there to do? At least it gave him ample opportunity to travel and kill and have fun. It was a good enough life, so he stayed.   
  
He hadn’t made up his mind about Itachi yet, he was either a mad genius or just mad altogether, but it didn’t matter much. The vampire had some plan he was working towards, but as long as Kisame had a place to stay and enough money to get food he didn’t care too much. Sure, the clean-up job later would be a hassle, bloodstains were a pain in the ass to get out of wood, but for once Deidara had taken it upon himself to deal with the disposal of the body, so he guessed he couldn't complain too much.  
  
The roar had him fly to his feet immediately, frowning in the direction Deidara had vanished to. What the hell was happening? Was Deidara roaring? No, couldn't be, the sound hadn’t been anywhere near Deidara’s voice. Could it be..?  
  
Kisame looked over towards Itachi, and caught dark eyes peering at him from Sasuke’s neck. Kisame didn’t need to be a mind reader to realise what Itachi wanted him to do, so he just left the room, heading down the hallway towards where the sound had come from.   
  
What he saw was most definitely not a good thing. Deidara was standing with his back towards him, staring at the thing in front of him.   
  
Golden fur spread across a narrow muzzle, red eyes flickered as if aflame, and fangs were bared in a sneer. It was hunched over, one hand splayed along the floor for support, long claws digging pale furrows in the dark wood. The other was held to the beast’s stomach. The remnants of the sweater was ripped and torn under the force of expanding shoulders and muscles, shoving more patches of golden fur. Combat boots were speared through by heavy claws and behind the beast a bushy tail lashed at the air. Golden, with a white tip. Just like a fox.   
  
_Well, fuck._  
  
It was no mistaking this thing, it was Sasuke’s shifter. The fur was the exact shade of blond as the shifter’s hair, and the twisted remnants of shackles still hung around his wrists. It became glaringly obvious that this was not your everyday shifter. This was not a man who had turned into an animal; this was a man that had turned into a beast. It was hunched over, not standing on all four, and it was huge, shoulders matching Kisame’s own. It would probably stand taller than Kisame’s own six feet five if it pulled itself to its full height.   
  
There was no time to think any more as powerful hind legs threw the fox forward towards Deidara. Kisame had no idea what was up with the vampire, but it had looked too captivated by the beast to actually do anything until now as his arms shot up to protect himself from the strong jaws snapping in his face.   
  
Kisame realised that there were no way around it; he’d have to shift if he wanted to have a chance to take down the other shifter.   
  
His back hunched over just as Deidara’s arm was ripped right out of its socket in a spray of sticky blood and ash as the severed limb started disintegrating mid-air.   
  
It had taken Kisame years to control his own abilities enough to stop the shift midways. Very few shifters could, and that told him that the shifter he was going to be facing off with was no ordinary shifter. He was too young and volatile to have that sort of control. No, he was something else altogether.  
  
Kisame’s back stretched out as his dorsal fin grew from his spine, his skin greying and thickening as it spread across him. He felt his head tip backwards as a mutilated roar ripped from his throat as his mouth split wide, new rows of jagged teeth bursting from his gums. He was stronger like this, and his skin could withstand more, but it was hard to stop the shift in time, stop it before gills broke along his neck, rendering him unable to breathe. Kisame was made to be in water, was made to become a shark, strong and fierce and unbeatable. He wished he was near the ocean, wished he could just shift completely and swim through the water. No one would have been able to stop him in on his own turf.   
  
The weight of his dorsal fin pushed him into a hunched position, but it protected his spine from injury, and although he didn’t have the claws of the fox, just thick fingers with webbing between them, his teeth more than made up for it. If he could just lock his jaws around a piece of flesh he could tear the fox apart.   
  
He threw his arms to the side as he leapt towards the shifter just as Deidara’s other arm was ripped off by strong jaws. The vampire had his face buried near the shifter’s neck, most likely trying to latch on to rip out his carotid artery, but the golden fur was thick and Kisame knew Deidara wouldn’t stand a chance, not without a weapon in his hands. No, it would be Kisame who ended this fight.  
  


***

  
Itachi made sure that Kisame headed into the hallway to deal with whatever issue had arisen there. Itachi hoped Deidara was making a fuss about nothing, but that roar… no, Itachi had faith that Kisame could deal with it, he had other things to worry about now, because the roar seemed to have snapped Sasuke out of whatever daze of shock he had been in, and his body was stirring under him. This wasn’t good at all, he needed Sasuke completely without hope for the plan to work, and he still hadn’t drunk enough to kill him just yet. Kisame and Deidara could deal with whatever was going on, but he needed to hurry. So far he had taken his time draining Sasuke, enjoying the sweet taste of blood laced with pain too much to hurry. If someone was attacking them, reinforcements to support Sasuke and the shifter maybe, he had no time to spare. The interruption would be enough to give Sasuke something to go on to claw himself out of his despair, and then he’d just be left with a useless vampire who was little else but cannon fodder.   
  
The time for savouring his victory wasn’t right now, so he bit down harder, allowing more blood to flood his mouth, some spilling out past his lips. It mattered little; Sasuke would die whether Itachi drank it all, or if it was spilled on the floor.  
  
From far away he could hear faint sounds of what he figured was fighting, and he growled low in the back of his throat, making sure Sasuke wouldn’t be distracted by anything other than dying.   
  
A new roar reverberated through the manor, deep-pitched and malicious. It wasn’t Deidara’s lighter voice, nor was it the guttural growls Kisame made as he fought, his throat caught somewhere between human and shark. They were definitely being attacked by someone, or something.   
  
Time was running out as Sasuke started trying to move his head, fighting the daze, obviously having heard the sound and latched on to it. There’s no mistaking the sounds of fighting as a loud growl accompanies the sound of something hitting a hard surface further down the hallway. Sasuke started straining against Itachi’s hold. “Naruto…” he whispered, his voice breaking.   
  
Seeing how no attacking force came bursting in through the windows Itachi was starting to fear he knew exactly what Kisame and Deidara was fighting against, and it seemed like Sasuke had come to the same conclusion. The blond shifter had been virtually gutted and should have bled out by now, but Itachi should have made sure that Deidara finished the business, because you never knew just exactly what you were dealing with, and it wouldn’t be the first time someone had nasty surprises.   
  
This wasn’t like him at all. Itachi was smart, Itachi was a planner. He made sure all contingencies were covered, but somehow he had gotten sloppy. Sure, having Sasuke come to him hadn’t been part of the plan, but he should have been able to make up a better one, because hurrying into it like this was so unlike him. What had happened, why was he messing up, why was his plan crumbling away under him like this? This wasn’t how it was supposed to go at all.   
  
Itachi sneered. If Sasuke was starting to believe that there was still hope, believing that Naruto had somehow gotten back to life and was coming to save him then it was all futile. Itachi squandered away his opportunity to get the ideal second in commander, and there was no saving this plan now. He hadn’t drunk enough from Sasuke to kill him yet, and now disgusting hope and a will to fight was flaring to life in his body, shattering the plan. Even if he died now it wouldn’t be enough, he’d just be an ordinary vampire, strong, but not powerful enough to make a difference.   
  
Seeing his plan washed away by the tide of poor planning and fate Itachi realised that the plan was thoroughly ruined, and he would just have to salvage what he could for now and leave. He would make better plans, would find someone else worthy of standing by his side.  
  
He sunk his fangs deep into his own wrist, ripping it open. Thick, dark blood flowed from the wounds, and he swiftly pressed them to Sasuke’s mouth. His long fingers tightened in Sasuke’s hair, tilting his head further to the side, ensuring that the blood would fill his mouth.   
  
Sasuke coughed and spat, the blood dribbling from his lips as he tried to twist away, but Itachi forced his head back to his wrist, digging his knee into Sasuke’s side to get him to open his mouth again. Sasuke fought him, but a particularly hard jab to his ribs had him gasp in pain, and the blood again filled his mouth, smearing his tongue in dark red. Sasuke tried to spit again, but it was futile. The blood stuck to the inside of his mouth, and it was inevitable that some of it would slide further. All Itachi would have to do now was bleed him dry, and tomorrow he would join their ranks, one of the undead, strong and better than ever, no longer human, but one of _them._ It wasn’t like he would turn voluntarily, so he wouldn't be a complete mindless dog like some vampires.  
  
He bared his fangs and leaned in, intending to finish the job as Sasuke twitched beneath him, and then threw his elbow backwards, catching Itachi unaware as the bone of it connected solidly with his nose, breaking it with an audibly snap. The pain was sharp, but he had no time to linger on it, his nose would heal later on.  
  
He grabbed onto the elbow and pushed it back to the floor, hissing lowly in his throat. “It’s too late now, little brother. You’ve already tasted my blood. No matter how hard you fight you are going to become one of us tomorrow.”  
  
“No, I won’t,” Sasuke said, his voice weak, but his words spoken with a surprising amount of confidence. “I will destroy you, and then I will ensure that this body never wakes up again.”  
  
Itachi would’ve been impressed by Sasuke’s bravado if he wasn’t too distraught by the way his plan had failed spectacularly. He was starting to see all the flaws in it himself now, and was still not sure how they hadn’t been glaringly obvious earlier.   
  
The growl was the first thing he heard, and as he snapped towards the sound he saw a flash of golden fur matted with dark blood before something launched itself at him. He reacted instantly, throwing himself off Sasuke and to the side, rolling out of harm's way, but feeling the floor shake as the heavy weight thumped into it right where he had been sitting a moment earlier.   
  
There was no time to think as the beast attacked, skidding on the floor and throwing itself towards Itachi, fangs bared. Itachi dropped at the last moment to get underneath the snapping maw, gathered his feet to him and threw them up, aiming at the chest of the beast. The powerful kick sent it flying away from him long enough that Itachi could gather himself and analyse the situation.   
  
The beast was getting to its hind legs as it gathered itself from the floor, shaking a large head. He looked like a werewolf straight out of some movie. Normal shifters turned into animals, not the half-breeds Hollywood liked to portray, with the exception of the select few like Kisame who had worked hard to be able to stay somewhere in the middle out of necessity. However, this wasn’t anything like that, this was a perfect mix of human and animal, and it looked fully stable. Its eyes were blazing red unlike anything he had ever seen, and the narrow muzzle and tail tipped with pure white fur tipped Itachi off as to what animal it was, but that did not do much to explain anything. Foxes weren’t special, fox shifters should’ve just turned into a little garbage digging mingy thing, not this. It looked more like something out of myth, something primal, something…   
  
_No, it couldn’t be…_  
  
His years of research had him dig through tome after ancient tome, trying to decipher fact from fiction. He’d focused on vampiric lore, naturally, but it was hard to not end up reading about all the other mythological creatures that inhabited this world. Shifters were one of the more common species, found on all corners of the world where human resided. Their origin was clouded in myth, much like most others, faded away as years passed, passed through word of mouth and twisted little by little until fact and myth was intertwined. There had been talk of another strain of shifters once, stronger, fiercer, more volatile, but there were no mention of them in texts for centuries so scholars had merely brushed it off as myths. Now though, seeing this beast, Itachi was starting to think the world had been deceived.   
  
_Protos_ he seemed to recall that they’d been referred to in some ancient Greek text he had read. The origin species, the first shifters, humans twisted together with animals through dark magic. Already myth when they had been written about two millennia ago there shouldn’t be any alive. How could they have gone undetected for this long, when vampires had long since been booted out of hiding? They were too uncontrollable, too caught up in instinct to be a secret… They should have left paths of bloody corpses wherever they went, mutilated and broken. That’s what the story had said, that they had been fierce fighters, vicious killers who thrived on death.  
  
Itachi wanted it. Wanted it under his control, could see the potential the beast would have, strong and fierce and terrifying. Judging by the thick blood coating the beast’s fur, and the fact that Itachi hadn’t seen Deidara and Kisame again meant that he was alone against the beast by now, and he wasn’t stupid enough to think that he could constrain it, not without getting something stronger than tempered steel like the shackles it had clearly torn out of, something magical. No, he would have to hope to kill it, and then he could experiment, find out it was truly a Protos, the science behind it, and if there was more.   
  
“Sasuke! I’m impressed. However did you get a Protos under your control? It’s clear you are an Uchiha after all,” Itachi shot out over his shoulder as he took a step backwards. He needed to find a weapon, needed to find the katana he had used earlier; he didn’t think he’d have much of a chance going up against this thing empty handed.   
  
He remembered clearly where the katana was, deeply embedded into the floor and Sasuke’s hand, keeping Sasuke pinned to the ground even as he was starting to fight the sluggishness that came from blood loss. It was clear that Sasuke wasn’t despairing anymore; there was fight in those eyes as Itachi met them for a moment. Itachi smirked and leapt into action, taking a few quick steps and sliding down on one knee. He saw Sasuke’s eyes widen as Itachi suddenly ran at him, but Itachi ignored him in favour of grabbing the handle of the katana and slide it from the ground. He heard a growl and the thump of heavy footsteps and swung around, slicing at the advancing beast.   
  
It twisted away from the sharp edge, and Itachi had to jump away to avoid the sweep of a clawed hand aimed at his head.   
  
Utilizing the demonic strength he possessed alongside the naturally agile body he inhabited Itachi avoided finding himself gutted by inch long claws as another thickly muscled arm swiped at him, but he felt the tip of one claw as it caught on his shirt, tearing a rift through it dangerously close to his abdomen.  
  
He spun away, making space between the two of them, not sure if he should be happy about the close quarters they were fighting in or not. There wasn’t much room to manoeuvre in even if it was a big room, but that also meant that the Protos he was fighting was at a disadvantage as well.   
  
The beast leapt at him again, and Itachi dodged at the last moment, bringing up the blade, carving a shallow cut up along the flank of the beast. It howled as its claws skittered along the floor, tearing up the wood as he tried to get the purchase to attack again. Itachi brought up his blade, aiming for the chest of the beast, intending to skewer its heart. A wild animal might have run right into that blade, blinded by aggressive instinct, but there was still intelligence in this beast as eyes narrowed and a low growl sounded from its throat. It took a step to the side, calmly watching Itachi as if it waited for him to make the first move. Itachi kept calm, turning his body so he could keep his eyes on the beast, watching for any movement to give it away before it attacked again.  
  
Itachi took another moment to just look at it, lamenting the fact that he would have to kill it. He could only hope its body would reveal its secrets later on.   
  
His eyes followed its torso. The remnants of a sweater still clung to him, but it was ripped and ruined by now, barely recognisable as anything other than fabric scraps. Fur covered his upper body and vanished behind the waistline of pants that looked much too tight by now, rips along the seam where its muscular thighs had pressed too hard against the fabric.   
  
Even through the fur, which was less dense down his abdomen than around his neck, he could see the wound Deidara had left in it earlier. Blood was smeared around the entire bottom half of its torso, and the skin was still torn, revealing broken flesh underneath. However, it didn’t seem to bleed, and there were no exposed intestines anymore, so he had obviously healed quite a lot. It would have been interesting to see how strong that ability was, because none of the shifters Itachi had worked with would have been able to survive being gutted.   
  
There was a twitch in strong legs that gave it away as the beast sprang into action.  
  
The fight that rose between them was fierce, fangs and claws and blades flying through the air, occasionally catching on flesh to tear shallow rips in it. Itachi had to pour everything he had into keeping alive, spending most of his time dodging and slicing at whatever body parts he could reach with the blade, but no cut seemed enough to deter the beast for long. They had smashed their way through a few tables, and the couch was ripped to shreds by powerful claws. Several pictures had fallen from the walls, and there were cracks and holes in the plaster from wherever either of the two had slammed into it.   
  
Itachi thrust his katana in front of him, and the beast was too close to dodge, bringing up an arm to shield him instead. The blade pierced cleanly through the muscle of his underarm, stopped from the chest Itachi had been aiming for.   
  
With a roar the beast threw its arm to the side, and the katana was ripped from Itachi’s hands. A clawed hand locked around the hilt and with a sharp movement the beast pulled it out of its own flesh and threw it to the side. Itachi knew he was very much at a disadvantage now with nothing but his own body to protect himself. He would have to act quickly.  
  
Crouching down he fainted to the right before leaping to the left, grabbing hold of the beast and throwing himself around its body, locking his arms around its neck, tightening his hold. The beast bucked against him, but Itachi locked a hand around his own elbow, pressing down on its throat, hoping to cut off its air supply.   
  
He was slammed hard into a wall as the beast reared backwards, but he didn’t lose his hold, just kept on applying pressure. He would’ve torn its neck open with his fangs, but he didn’t think he could penetrate the thick fur, so he wasn’t going to sacrifice the hold he had in an attempt.   
  
He slammed into the wall again as the beast tried to dislodge him, but Itachi could deal with pain just fine.  
  
Seconds felt like hours as the beast kept on fighting him, but Itachi was strong and wouldn’t let himself be tossed off easily. The beast lifted its hands to its throat, and sharp claws dug into Itachi’s forearms, ripping bloody gorges through flesh. Itachi didn’t lose his grip, but kept applying pressure, hoping the beast would pass out sooner rather than later.  
  
A claw curled deep into Itachi’s flesh, and ripped hard. Itachi gritted his teeth against the pain, but it mattered little if he endured it when the beast had obviously torn something rather important in his arm. His grip faltered, tendons or muscles or both torn apart, and when the beast threw itself backwards into the wall again Itachi slid off his back, unable to hold on with just one functioning arm.   
  
The shifter shook his head and snapped around, falling into a hunch as he bared his fangs. Itachi kept his ruined arm to his chest while he cast a glance around, trying to find a way to get out of this on top.   
  
The beast leapt forward, and a plan flashed to Itachi in the same moment as he executed it. Using the shifter’s weight and momentum against it Itachi spun them around enough that rather than slam into him the shifter slammed into the window to his left. It took little effort on him, and the effect was just what he had wanted. The glass shattered and there was nothing the beast could do as it toppled out what was now a hole in the wall. Claws clung to the heavy curtains, but the fabric ripped apart, and the shifter was gone.   
  
Itachi wasn’t stupid. A fall from the second story was not going to be enough to incapacitate the shifter for long, but he had bought himself time, time to finish what he had started. He would kill Sasuke and then get out of this place before the shifter came back. There was plenty of DNA left behind from the beast, tufts of fur clinging to the jagged pieces of glass that jutted from the frame of the broken window and pools of blood on the floor. It would have to be enough. With only one arm Itachi realised he was at a serious disadvantage, retreat was his only option right now.  
  
Turning around he surveyed the destruction the fight had left behind, and in a corner of the room; his brother. Our well, the one who shared genetic material with the body he currently resided in. He must've rolled away to keep out of the fray. Smart boy.   
  
Itachi walked towards him just as Sasuke staggered to his feet. Itachi could see the way Sasuke's legs shook with the strain, his body weakened from blood loss.  
  
There was strength in those dark eyes though, and as he widened his stance to steady himself it became apparent just how much fight he had left in him. His hands were curled around the hilt of his katana, the same one the shifter had ripped from Itachi’s hands not long ago. Sasuke had grown up into a fighter, the big eyes and easy smiles gone.   
  
Sasuke would always look at him with adoration in his eyes, like Itachi was his biggest hero. Itachi could remember how those big eyes always lit up as Itachi came home from school, stubby legs running towards him, begging for piggyback rides he usually gave in to.   
  
Itachi shook his head, willing away the memory. That wasn’t who he was, that was just memories left over from before. He wasn’t Itachi, not really. Memories of what he had been before waking up in this body was muddled and hard to decipher. If he had another name once it was long since forgotten. Sometimes the lines between himself, the demon, and Itachi, the human, got a bit blurry. That was not going to stop him from killing Sasuke though. He just needed to clear his mind.  
  
"I'm surprised you can still stand, little brother," Itachi said as he walked closer, pushing any stray memories to the back of his mind.   
  
Sasuke looked calm and composed on the surface as he watched Itachi approach, but Itachi saw how his fingers tightened and loosened around the hilt, saw the other hand hang limply down his side, blood dripping from the ruined palm. Pure willpower would not be enough to win over Itachi, not now when all he needed to do was kill Sasuke. Break his neck and then he'd rise as one of them tomorrow.  
  
Sasuke's anger got the best of him as he moved forward into his attack, too soon, too uncoordinated.   
  
Itachi sidestepped the attack, but somehow Sasuke saw it, and flowed into another movement with surprising fluidity, twisting and bringing his blade forward in a lethal arch.  
  
Itachi felt it carve into his upper arm, leaving a deep gorge that wouldn't be enough to stop him. He was surprised it had hit though, it shouldn't have even graced him. That was sloppy of him. Itachi was better than this, should have dodged it altogether.  
  
He spun around, getting out of the way of a new swipe of the katana. Sasuke was good, he was going to give him that, and if he hadn't been weakened already Itachi would have been in trouble.   
  
As it was he was sure Sasuke was moving mostly on adrenaline by now, and it would only be so long before that washed out and left him dazed by blood loss again. Itachi didn't have time to wait for that. He twisted out of the way of another katana swipe, and followed through by moving close to Sasuke before he could change the direction of the blade. Long fingers closed around Sasuke's throat as Itachi slammed him into the wall. He was done playing.   
  
His other hand closed around Sasuke's sword hand and slammed it against the wall until Sasuke dropped the katana.   
  
Itachi knew there was no time for grand speeches anymore, so he surged forward, intending to bury his fangs in that throat and rip it open. Sasuke's dark eyes looked at him, but rather than anger or stark defiance Itachi saw something else in them. Sadness?   
  
"I'm sorry I couldn't save you, I'm sorry it will end like this," Sasuke said as Itachi hesitated for a moment.  
  
A lance of fire shot through his skull the next moment as he suddenly remembered seeing those eyes filled with sadness before, when Sasuke saw what had become of his brother, the monster he had woken up as. Sasuke hadn't been afraid, not at first; he had been sad, big brown eyes flooding with tears.   
  
The image morphed into something else. Those same eyes scrunched into happy arches as Sasuke grinned up at him, chocolate smeared all over his face, chocolate Itachi had saved to eat later but then graciously given his younger brother when he asked.  
  
Sasuke as a baby, grinning at him with naked gums and only a small tuft of black hair atop his head.   
  
Sasuke crying when he fell out of a tree and skinned his knee.   
  
Sasuke laughing, Sasuke crying, Sasuke pouting, pictures flashing over his mind, faster and faster, spiralling into a kaleidoscope of images. His synapses were firing as memories assaulted him, flooding him.  
  


***

  
Sasuke stared as the monster in front of him bared fangs and dove in. He had no weapons, and he was having a hard time keeping his eyes open. He could feel unconsciousness pull at him, beckoning for him to just stop fighting, but the taste of blood in his mouth had him cling to awareness all he could. He was going to stand strong as he died, would die facing his nightmares with his back held straight.  
  
He expected the sharp pain of fangs, but it never came. Rather than finish the strike the vampire bearing the face of his brother froze, eyes wide but unfocused. He lifted his hands to his skull and the long fingers buried in his hair, tugging at the strands as his face twisted into a grimace. One arm bore the deep gashes Naruto had torn through it earlier, the wounds still gaping sores of ash, but his body healed enough that it would be so easy to kill Sasuke now.  
  
Sasuke had no idea what was happening, but as he found his hand and neck free he sank to the floor, his legs unable to carry his weight anymore. This was the opening he needed to finish this, but he had no weapon, and his body felt so tired, so heavy.   
  
He sprawled in a mostly upright position, and as he peered around himself with heavy eyelids, still not willing to give up, he saw the glint of metal so close he could almost touch it. His katana, dropped to the ground right beside him, sharp and lethal as ever.   
  
He reached for it, limbs heavy as he tried to avoid falling over. He knew that if he did he would not be able to get up again.   
  
He was vaguely aware of Itachi sinking to his knees in front of him, but ignored it as he stretched towards the discarded blade, his fingertips brushing the edge. He nicked the fleshy part of his middle finger as he slid it along the edge, but just kept reaching until he could inch the blade closer. Finally his fingers closed around the edge and he could pull it into his lap and rest with his head against the wall. He blinked hard, trying to clear his vision, but fog was clouding it no matter.   
  
Fingers rested atop the hilt, but he had no strength left to lift it, could only watch as his brother fought some internal demon, tugging at hair, face contorted into an ugly grimace. He had no idea what was going on, but it mattered little. It wouldn't take long until unconsciousness claimed him, and then he knew he wouldn't be waking up again. He could only hope someone would come to kill him before he woke as one of them, the very beings he had fought against his entire life. It was a good thing he had pushed so many at the DPA away, made them despise him, they would have no qualms executing him. There was peace in that thought, in knowing that there were very capable agents ready to clean up his mess.   
  
His vision narrowed until all he could see was Itachi, so it was easy to see when those red eyes locked on him again, whatever internal fight he had gone through resolved.   
  
It also meant he did not see the shadow rising behind Itachi, not until strong jaws locked around Itachi’s shoulder. Sasuke's eyes widened as he lifted his gaze enough to see the red eyes peering at him from over Itachi’s shoulder. Naruto.   
  
It was no doubt that this was Naruto's ultimate form. He'd seen it earlier when he fought Itachi, but it was even more impressive this close. Sasuke had never seen anything like this, and if it hadn’t been apparent already it was clear now that Naruto was nothing like your everyday shifter.   
  
Fiery orbs flickered, and even if there was no discerning iris from sclera anymore Sasuke just knew that Naruto was staring right at him, and a growl deep in his throat sounded eerily like a warning. There was no recognition in those eyes, nothing that showed Sasuke that Naruto was still there and cognisant of what was going on. No, this was the beast within, the one Naruto had feared, and now it had free reign over their body. Sasuke had no idea if it was working solely on instinct, or if there was any reason to its actions. as it was Naruto stayed silent, just watching Sasuke, keeping Itachi pinned in place.  
  
Itachi twisted, and powerful jaws tightened. Locked around most of Itachi’s left side it would crush his entire shoulder easily, and when a hand lifted, curling inch long claws around Itachi’s throat it seemed like Itachi realised that he had lost. He eased off, settling in a relaxed kneel. Itachi’s eyes were on the floor in front of him, looking caught up in thought until a soft smile spread on his lips and he lifted his gaze to look at Sasuke.  
  
“You know, even now this body fights me,” he said with a huff of cold laughter. “I don’t even think I realised until now why this plan was never going to work. The soul of your brother might be gone, but his memories are still here, and sometimes it’s… hard to differentiate. I don’t think I even noticed, but this plan was doomed to fail from the moment I conceived it. I’m starting to think that it was never my idea to begin with, but all because of the pathways up here, those that came with the body.” He tapped a finger to his temple, and Naruto’s fangs dug further into his shoulder as a warning against any sudden movements. Sasuke was too caught up in what Itachi was saying to think much of why the beast wasn’t killing off Itachi yet. Could it be true? Was a part of Itachi still there, saving him from beyond the grave?  
  
It was common knowledge that vampires retained the memories of their host body; they took great pleasure in using them to their advantage after all. Sasuke had never heard about it going the other way though, that the memories could somehow influence the vampires. It made sense in a way though, spend your life looking at someone else’s life and it might become hard to see where you and it ended. And Itachi had always been strong willed. If anyone could overcome death to keep Sasuke safe it would be him.  
  
“Maybe it was never my plan at all. Maybe that was his. Maybe the memories left behind knew that the only way to kill us off was to get to you, because only you could finish this,” he said, still smiling softly as if he couldn’t quite comprehend what was happening to him. “Do you even know what happened when I tried to kill you just now, when you were completely at my mercy? I saw you, flashes of memories, happy ones and sad ones, like a barrage of pictures. You wouldn’t think memories could hurt, but they did. Apparently this body, this Itachi would go as far for you as to protect you after death, as if getting his soul ripped out wasn’t enough to stop him. How… quaint. And what a way to go. Do I even get the choice? Ripped apart by a beast that should have been extinct millennia ago or skewered by the younger brother I quite clearly should have killed back then?”  
  
The words were starting to make less sense for Sasuke as he felt his eyelids steadily grew heavier. There was so much he wanted to know, but this was not a time for discussion, this was a time for endings. It was likely to be the last thing he did, but he was going to end this. It mattered little if some part of Itachi was still there, influencing the vampire from beyond the grave. Sasuke knew that Itachi would have wanted him to put an end to this, and that was what he was going to do.  
  
His body protested him, but this was his burden to bear, and he would not allow Naruto to take it from him. Itachi was always his to kill.   
  
Somehow he managed to shuffle forward until he was kneeling in front of Itachi. The demonic red faded back to the almost black of Itachi’s eyes, and for a moment Sasuke didn’t see the vampire who had ripped his family apart, he saw the brother he had loved and looked up to. The one who had seemed so old and wise, but now looked like the teenager he had been when he died, smaller than him, features still the soft ones of a kid. Through the years Sasuke’s features had sharpened and matured, and he knew Itachi’s would have as well, but he had been robbed of that just as he had been robbed of a proper death.  
  
This close he could hear Naruto’s heavy breath, and he felt the large body thrumming with barely contained energy. It was clear that Naruto wasn’t in control anymore, and Sasuke knew there was a good reason to believe the beast would attack him the moment Itachi was ash, but at this point it mattered little, because he doesn’t think he has long left anyways.  
  
“Big brother,” Sasuke said, “I’m so sorry you had to go through this, I wish there was something that could be done, but I think that if you were alive you would want me to end this. You would have hated what you had become, all the lives your body has taken.”   
  
Sasuke drew a sharp breath and lifted his katana, finding it surprisingly light in his tired hands as he placed the tip against Itachi’s chest, right above the heart that had not beaten once in almost twenty years. He kept their gazes locked as he pushed forward, tempered steel sliding easily through flesh.  
  
Itachi’s lips parted on a soft gasp as the blade slid through his chest, dealing damage he never would be able to heal. His eyes didn’t waver from Sasuke’s as his right hand lifted. Sasuke followed it with wide eyes as Itachi reached towards Sasuke’s forehead with stretched fingers, just as he had when Sasuke was young and bugging him, and Itachi would flick his forehead.  
  
Inches short of their goal the hand fell limply to the ground as Itachi’s eyes lost their focus and he died for a final time.   
  
Sasuke dropped the katana and sunk in on himself. He had done it. Had killed the one vampire who had haunted his life for two decades, and now he felt all hollow inside. Maybe it was a good thing he probably wouldn’t survive the night, because what did he have to fight for anymore?  
  
The scent of Itachi’s blood spread in the air, and Sasuke saw how Naruto’s nostrils flared as he took in the scent, saw the broad shoulders shudder, as if he fought with himself. He had loosened its grip on the vampire’s body as the silver from the katana started disintegrating the body, and now it looked like he was on the verge of attacking him.  
  
“Naruto. I forgive you if you kill me; I know it’s not really you doing it. Just… please make sure to do it properly. I don’t want to become one of them.” Sasuke said. He was exhausted and just couldn’t fight anymore. As long as Naruto made sure he would not rise again tomorrow he would die willingly.   
  
Naruto took a step closer, sneering. Sasuke stretched a hand towards him, placing it on his muzzle, almost surprised that he didn’t feel any fear of dying anymore. Was this what finding peace felt like? Still, he didn’t want Naruto to have to be the one to end it, Naruto deserved better than to become his executioner. “That doesn’t mean I don’t want you to fight,” Sasuke said quietly. “I know you are stronger than the beast, and I know you are still in there, and that you will hate yourself if you hurt me, because that’s just how you are, so I need you to do your utmost to fight it.”  
  
The body of the beast shuddered violently as it fell to a knee, hands curling into fists, claws digging bloody furrows through his flesh as it did. Sasuke kept on holding a hand against him, eyes seeking out his, giving him what little strength was left in his body.   
  
The beast tipped his head back and howled, the sound ragged and sore, and when it looked back at Sasuke the fire in its eyes had died, and Sasuke was looking back into beautiful blue.   
  
As he looked the body twisted and turned and shrank, and soon Naruto was back with him, lying on the floor, panting. What had remained of his sweater was doing little to hide the state of his body. Bruises and wounds, the largest the one that dissected his stomach, carving a path right through the tattoo there. It had looked almost healed earlier, but now Sasuke saw that it was still a gaping wound. Perhaps not fatal on its own, but it was far from the only wound Naruto was sporting. He had cuts and bruises all over him, a particularly nasty bruise blossoming over his ribs. Sasuke would be surprised if the ribs beneath wasn't broken.  
  
Sasuke toppled over, surprised with how suddenly his body gave in. He collapsed on his back right next to Naruto, and could only tip his head to the side to watch him. His unharmed hand reached towards Naruto, and soon their fingertips brushed in a soft touch.   
  
“I don’t want to become one of them,” Sasuke said, his voice growing weak. “Promise to finish the job if I turn?” He knew he had just told himself he didn’t want Naruto to be his executioner, but it was hard to keep control over his thoughts as they flitted away from him the moment they formed.   
  
It looked like Naruto was about to answer him, but a coughing fit racked his body. When he finally pulled his hand away it was stained with bright red blood. “I’m not sure I can promise that,” he said as he looked down at the hand for a moment before letting it drop to the floor. “I’m not sure I’ll be around then. My body feels… wrong.”   
  
“This wasn’t how it was going to end,” Sasuke said, curling his fingers around Naruto’s.   
  
“Nah. I had plans to grow old with you, you know? Fighting over who got the last bowl of porridge in the old folks home. Pinching the butt of the cutest nurses while you told me off?” Naruto chuckled, the sound soon morphing into a cough. It sounded like something was broken inside him, and Sasuke had to close his eyes when he felt the sting of tears. His eyelids grew too heavy for him to open again. He thought he would’ve liked to grow old with Naruto.  
  


***

  
Kakashi hurried through the house, not liking the thick silence that blanketed it. He had called in for backup from the closest DPA branch office, but they were too far away. Shit, this hadn’t gone according to plan at all. Sasuke and Naruto wasn’t going to engage Itachi in a fight the very first day, they were only going to do recognisance, and that would have given him time to gather up the backup force necessary if it turned out that this was more than his two agents could handle.   
  
There was signs of Naruto and Sasuke throughout the house in the form of bodies that were littered throughout the rooms, some mostly ashed away by now, others just dead, shifters most likely given the still complete state of their bodies.   
  
He had his gun drawn and was ready for whatever he may meet as he rushed up the stairs. The sun was rising in the distance and the hallway that stretched in front of him was washed in an orange glow from a door standing open further down.   
  
He stepped over a large body lying prone across the hallway. Its skin was a dark grey, back bulging out in a half-formed dorsal fin. The shark shifter was dead, guts littered across the hallway like a trail of pink that Kakashi had to step through. The squelching sound of broken guts would have disgusted him any other day, but now he had other things to worry about as he rounded the ashed remains of what had at one point been a vampire, neat little piles of ash making it appear as if he was pulled into pieces before left to die in peace.   
  
The open door at the end was his target. Kakashi couldn’t explain how he knew that this was where he needed to go, but he had long since given up going against his gut instinct. It hadn’t failed him yet.  
  
The room was trashed. Furniture was broken, the walls were littered with vaguely human shaped indents and sunlight was streaming in through broken windows, the curtains that once hung in front of them ripped and pulled out of the window to lap at the air.  
  
By a wall two bodies was lying side by side, and not far off what remained of the vampire Sasuke had been hunting, most of its chest mere ash at this point, a katana lying awkwardly through what had at one point been a torso, threatening to topple to the floor any moment as the flesh supporting it was vanishing, turning into so much dust.   
  
Kakashi did a quick sweep of the room to make sure there was no one there as he rushed towards the two bodies, holstering his gun and dropping to his knees next to them. Sasuke was pale as a sheet, blood smeared around his neck where two small wounds showed where he had been attacked. Naruto was sporting a wide variety of bruises and wounds, blood trickling in a small stream from his lips. Their eyes were closed, but their faces turned to each other.  
  
Kakashi’s lone eye stared at the scene in horror. He had failed them, had let them go in alone and now they were gone, and it was his entire fault.   
  
He reached towards Sasuke with an unsteady hand when he felt it. The faint fluttering of a pulse, sluggish and slow, but _there._  
  
Throwing himself down Kakashi pressed his ear to Sasuke’s chest, and now he felt the soft beat. He twisted his face towards Naruto, and saw his chest move up just slightly as he drew an almost not there breath.  
  
Kakashi dove for his cell phone, setting heaven and hell into motion as he called for EMTs. They were still clinging onto life, just barely, and Kakashi was not about to let them die. He had promised Iruka as much. He had somehow let it slip that Naruto and Sasuke was going off together when Iruka had called earlier, worried because he hadn’t been able to reach Naruto. Iruka had proceeded to use his very firm teacher voice over the phone to tell him that Kakashi better spill the beans about the situation right that very moment and Kakashi hadn’t been able to say no. The seemingly mild-mannered man could be very intimidating when he was properly motivated.  
  
He couldn’t quite recall the threats that had been made, but Kakashi knew he was in for a lifetime of pain if he did not do his utmost to save the two agents. It wasn’t as if Kakashi wasn’t already on his way after them, making plans for backup if needed—he wasn’t stupid, no matter what Iruka said—those plans had started forming the moment he let Sasuke and Naruto take his car and leave the city. They might think he was letting them go off on their own, but he had not been about to sacrifice two of his best agents to some personal vendetta. Sasuke needed his revenge, and he had been prepared to give it to him, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t ready backup, just in case it didn’t work out.   
  
His plan would have gone well too, if not for the fact that the two had been in such a hurry to jump into the situation. The team he had been putting together wouldn’t have been ready until the next day at the soonest. If the idiots pulled through this he would have them doing shit jobs for months before he let them back on duty. Sasuke should have known better, was experienced enough to know that you didn’t rush into a situation like this.   
  
Kakashi fell into what first aid training he knew as he waited for the EMTs to arrive; doing what he could to keep them alive a little while longer. He knew why Sasuke had done what he did. Sasuke was driven by a sole goal and with the goal so near he hadn’t been able to think completely rationally anymore. He never would’ve been able to walk away when the one he had been hunting for was so close by. He hadn’t had a chance. And give it to Naruto to just blindly follow. He never would have been able to stop Sasuke, and naturally the shifter wasn’t about to let Sasuke go into a situation like that alone. The end result was that they were lying here, side by side as their bodies fought to keep them alive a while longer.   
  
Kakashi didn’t like it one bit when he leaned in to make sure Sasuke’s airways were clear and saw the dark blood still clinging to his tongue. Vampire blood, he was sure of it, the scent was hard mistake. Keeping Sasuke alive was more important than ever, because the moment that heart would stop beating the blood would start its work, preparing his body for a demonic parasite. Kakashi was not about to let that happen. He did not want to have to kill Sasuke, wasn’t prepared for that. He would do it in a heartbeat if it came to it, but he would do whatever he could to prevent it from happening first.  
  
“Don’t you two dare die on me,” Kakashi muttered to himself as he moved between the bodies, doing what little he could do for the two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might have felt an almost overpowering need to just end this fic right before the Kakashi part. It brought me lots of really evil joy to imagine that, but considering the comments I got when I gutted Naruto I decided maybe not. XD Only one more chapter to go~


	34. Chapter 34

_The world was nothing but fog. Thick impenetrable fog that tugged at him, beckoned him to stay in its cold grasp. Sasuke knew there was more to the world, but it was hard to focus on anything. He thought he could see light through the fog, shapes, vague and blurry, but they kept vanishing when he reached for them. He kept stretching, knew there was something he should remember, someone. It all faded away again, leaving him in a stretch of encompassing darkness._  
  
When Sasuke finally woke completely after having been caught on the cusp of awareness for some time the first thing he noted was that his gut hated him. He twisted to his side and promptly threw up. He didn’t notice the hand holding the bedpan until his stomach was completely empty and his throat burned with bile. His eyes were finally starting to focus, and the first thing he saw was upchuck, dark red and disgusting, the smell acrid. He gagged at the stench, but had nothing else to throw up, so after retching a few times he fell back to his back. There was light above him, and he clenched his eyes against the glare, trying to focus his mind.  
  
He was having a hard time with it. He felt all sluggish, as if he was drugged on something that didn’t want him waking up just yet. His mind was cotton and felt mostly useless at this point.  
  
“Don’t you think you’ve slept long enough?” a voice said from his side.   
  
He lifted a heavy arm and laid it over his forehead to shield against the bright light and peeled his eyelids open to glare in the direction of the voice. He should’ve realised that someone would have been holding the bedpan, but he hadn’t quite given it much thought, too out of it, but now he saw a familiar shock of silver hair sitting by his side. Kakashi was wiping his hands on a towel, and at his side Sasuke could see the bedpan he had just had a nice meeting with.  
  
“I didn’t know you worked as a nurse,” Sasuke grunted, his throat sore and his voice hoarse.   
  
“Well, considering I felt rather responsible for what happened I figured it was the least I could do.”  
  
Sasuke let his arm fell completely over his eyes. What was Kakashi talking about? What had happened? Where was he? He tried to sort through his thoughts, to grasp onto some memory and unravel the mess his brain was currently.   
  
There was a sterile smell in the air around him, and a beeping to his side. Sasuke lifted his arm enough to glance down at himself. He had a white sheet pulled to his chin, and his other arm laid by his side, a catheter taped to the back of his hand. A hospital? Why was he in a hospital?  
  
He had been hurt, hadn't he? He remembered pain, sharp and bright, and then a dull ache. His neck? He had hurt his neck? No, not he, _someone_ had hurt him, someone had… bitten him?  
  
Sasuke’s eyes flew open. Itachi. They had gone to the manor and Itachi was there, and they had fought, and it had been a disaster, and Naruto had… Naruto had. Naruto…  
  
“Naruto,” he whispered as it felt like his throat closed up. He remembered seeing Naruto cough up blood, remembered him being carved open, remembered him lying beside him as the world grew dim.  
  
“He’s in the ICU,” Kakashi said, and as Sasuke immediately tried to rise up from the bed he laid a hand against his chest and pinned him back to the mattress.   
  
“The best surgeons are working on him as we speak, and the best thing you can do right now is to stay calm,” Kakashi said, his tone firm.   
  
Sasuke wanted to fight against him, wanted to run to Naruto, but even through his panic Kakashi’s words made sense. Sasuke wasn’t a doctor, he wouldn't be able to help Naruto, not now. Again Sasuke was helpless, unable to do anything to keep Naruto safe. His fingers curled in the bed sheets as he fought the scream rising in his throat.  
  


***

  
Kakashi sighed and pushed out of the rather uncomfortable chair by Sasuke’s bedside as Sasuke’s eyes slid closed again, the sedative the nurse had filled his arm with doing its job.   
  
He had completely lost track of time, and had no idea how long he had been sitting here. All he knew was that he had not strayed from Sasuke’s bedside ever since the agent had been taken out of the emergency room. He had collapsed from blood loss, but the EMTS and doctors knew what they were doing and had kept Sasuke alive, filling him with new fluids to replenish what he had lost. It had been touch and go for a moment, but Sasuke had pulled through, and given some time to recuperate he would be fine. At least physically.  
  
He’d forever carry the scars on his neck, and the doctors still couldn’t tell if his hand would heal completely, but he would live. He’d have a rough couple of days ahead of him as his body rejected the vampire blood he had been filled with, but Kakashi was more worried about the state of his mind to be honest.   
  
Naruto was still being treated in the ICU last he checked, and although it looked promising last he heard things could easily take a turn for the worst in a split second. His enhanced healing had done what it could to keep Naruto alive, but his body was at its limit, organs threatening to shut down.  
  
Kakashi ran a hair through his mess of hair as he sauntered through the hallways of the hospital, heading for a vending machine, needing something to do. He had gotten a little too familiar with these hallways, had seen too many people hurt through his years at the DPA.  
  
He rounded a corner, and stopped abruptly when he saw the hunched over figure sitting in an uncomfortable looking chair, face buried in his hands, brown ponytail askew. He hesitated, unsure if he should let Iruka be alone, not knowing if there had been any news about Naruto’s situation yet, but the decision was taken from him when Iruka suddenly looked up as if he had heard Kakashi standing there even though Kakashi was certain he hadn’t made as much as a sound.  
  
Kakashi stood there awkwardly, hands shoved in the pockets of his pants, shirt wrinkled, tie long gone, stubble catching on the fabric of his mask, figuring he looked about as shit as he felt. Iruka didn’t look much better, wearing faded jeans and a plain sweater with a stain on one shoulder. It looked very much like something someone would pull on when they left the house in a hurry, say when they got a phone call saying that their adopted son was in the hospital for the second time of the year, tethering on the edge of life and death.   
  
His eyes were red, the skin around them puffy, making it clear he had been crying earlier, but right now they looked dry as he stared blankly at Kakashi. He seemed to be processing something as his eyebrows twitched and then knitted into a frown. Kakashi shuffled his weight from one foot to the other, scouring his brain for something to say as Iruka pushed up from the chair suddenly, the feet of it scraping against the floor, leaving a high-pitched whine that had Kakashi flinch.  
  
Iruka stormed towards him, the look on his face undecipherable.   
  
“Iruka, I—” Kakashi started, but was immediately interrupted by a fist to the face.   
  
He saw it coming, naturally, but he didn't do anything to stop it, and it connected roughly with his cheek, sending pain flaring through the bone.  
  
The teacher packed a surprisingly powerful punch, and Kakashi’s head was thrown to the side by the force of it. He tested his jaw by shifting it, making sure his teeth were still all in place, before turning back to Iruka. There was no remorse in those brown eyes, and Kakashi was glad. He deserved much worse than a punch.   
  
Iruka moved towards him, and Kakashi silently braced himself for the next attack as he suddenly found himself with an armful of Iruka. Strong arms wrapped around his chest as Iruka buried his face in the nook of Kakashi’s shoulder, holding him tight, shoulders shaking in silent sobs.   
  
Kakashi stood there, hands hanging limply by his side for a full minute before he realise he should probably do something to comfort the man. He lifted his hands and let them hover over the shaking shoulders for a moment before wrapping them around Iruka’s back, pulling him closer to him, burying his nose in the soft strands of hair. Underneath the sterile scent of hospital there was still a lingering trace of something fruity that was probably Iruka’s shampoo. Kakashi closed his eyes and let out a breath, finding his body relaxing for the first time since this ordeal started.  
  
The shaking of silent sobs quieted soon, but Iruka still didn’t pull away, and when he finally spoke the words were muffled against Kakashi’s shoulder.   
  
“He came out of surgery an hour ago. They say he’s going to be okay. His body has already started to heal the surgical wounds.”  
  
Kakashi didn’t answer, found his throat suddenly thick with emotions, and he was afraid any words would just come out as sobs.  
  
“I’m not sorry for hitting you by the way. You said you were going to protect him, and he almost died, again.”  
  
Kakashi found that his fingers had curled into the fabric of Iruka’s shirt, and he knew he should probably let go, but he found that they didn’t want to unfurl. “I really wish I had been able to,” he said, swallowing hard to clear the lump in his throat.   
  
Iruka took a deep breath, and then he shifted away enough that he could look at Kakashi. He was shorter than him by a few inches, so it meant he had to tip his face backwards. Kakashi looked down at him with the eye not obstructed by his eyepatch. Even with swollen, red rimmed eyes and dried streaks of tears down his cheeks Iruka looked beautiful, and Kakashi hated himself for noticing that at this point. He shouldn’t be focused on the gorgeous chocolate colour of his eyes, or the way the ragged scar bisecting his nose just enhanced his good looks with its contrast of dark puckered skin against golden tan. He shouldn’t be noticing this now, but it was hard when he had his arms full of Iruka.   
  
Kakashi wasn’t sure if he wanted to see disappointment and anger in those eyes, but he was surprised that he saw neither. “I also know that if it hadn’t been for you he probably wouldn’t be here right now. You’re not the one who made him want to be an agent, but you were the one who found him and got him back to me. Thank you.”  
  
Iruka leaned back against his shoulder, arms tightening around Kakashi.  
  
It still felt kind of awkward to stand there in the middle of a hallway, pressed up against someone else like this. Kakashi didn’t usually let people close, was too scared of what they would eventually find out, but it felt so right to have Iruka in his arms that he couldn't even think about that now, just soak up the warmth and feel the pit of darkness that had been gathering in his gut slowly dissipate. Sasuke and Naruto had pulled through, and everything was going to be fine.   
  


***

  
Naruto extracted himself from Sasuke who had wrapped himself around him the moment they fell asleep in Sasuke’s big bed. He swung his leg over the edge of the mattress, his toes burrowing into the soft carpet for a moment before he pushed to his feet, sneaking out of the bedroom to ensure Sasuke didn’t wake. He needed the sleep.   
  
The apartment was dark even when the blinds in the living room wasn’t lowered, only the faint gleam of illumination from the city for below allowing any light inside.  
  
The moon was hidden behind a thick veil of clouds, offering little assistance as Naruto made his way across the floor, heading for the balcony. Even in the spaciousness of Sasuke’s apartment he felt cooped up, and he desperately needed the fresh air and lack of a roof above him.  
  
Stepping out he felt a chill wind against his toes and naked torso. Summer was upon them, but the warmth hadn’t settled yet, and the warm days couldn’t quite break the chill of night.  
  
Naruto hung over the railing, looking down at the city far below, nothing but moving lights and distant sounds. The railing was a comforting cold against his abdomen which was still sore. Wasn’t too strange considering he had been looking at his own intestines only a week ago. The skin was baby soft and thin, and the flesh around it still warm as his body worked hard to heal what remained of damage. He found himself constantly hungry as his body worked through whatever energy he ingested faster than he could replenish it. A small price to pay, he didn’t particularly mind being able to stuff himself with pizza without it having any consequence on his physique.   
  
Pulling away from the railing he ran a hand down the wound, shivering at the gentle touch. His tattoo was utterly ruined, carved through with a line of new skin. He might be able to tattoo over it later and make it decent looking again, but he wasn’t sure he would be bothered. Maybe he’d just get a new one somewhere else.  
  
He wasn’t sure if his skin would heal perfectly or if it would leave a lasting scar, but even if it faded away completely Naruto knew it would always leave a mark on him, the memory of that night.  
  
It had been a mess from end to finish, nothing going according to the haphazard plans they had, and it was only pure luck and timing on Kakashi’s part that had ensured the both of them was still breathing. He had been so close to losing Sasuke, and the thought had his heart twist in his chest. Seeing Sasuke like that, white as a sheet, eyes glazing over as he drifted away from him, it had been horrible. He had felt so useless, unable to do anything to help him.  
  
Naruto folded his hands on top of the railing and rested his forehead on them, closing his eyes as flashes of memories came to him.   
  
Even now he couldn’t quite piece together everything that had happened. It was all sort of clear up until the point where he had gotten a dagger to the gut. The shock had been worse than the pain, and he’d just suddenly felt all weak and disconnected from his body. He had felt the warm presence of the beast in his gut, and a part of him had known he wouldn’t be able to stop it anymore as he blacked out. After that it was a mess. The beast had taken over his body, but Naruto was still there, as a bystander, watching in horror as he ripped the vampire and wereshark in the hallway to pieces. He could taste the blood and flesh in his mouth, feel the skin ripped to shreds underneath his claws, the crunch of bone as his jaws bit down. It was all fractions and pieces, as if he had been wavering in and out of unconsciousness as his body had mauled through the two and moved back into the other room. A part of him knew he was different, he could see the way his face had pushed into an elongate snout, could feel the added bulk of his body in the way it moved, as well as the odd sensation of a weight pulling at the bottom of his spin, a tail he knew would be there even if he didn’t see it.  
  
He was too far gone to even fight the beast, just watched glimpses of the fight against Itachi until he felt his mouth full of flesh, and saw Sasuke in front of him. The beast had wanted to rip the vampire apart just like the two in the hallway, but seeing Sasuke like this, right in front of him, had spurred Naruto on enough to hold back the beast. He knew Sasuke needed to finish this on his own if he was ever going to get the peace of mind he deserved.   
  
It had been so hard to try and cling to that small bit of control, and he didn’t think he could have if not for Sasuke’s words, and the calm acceptance he had shown him. Naruto had fought tooth and nail to get back control of himself, and the beast had retreated back to its cave inside him, teeth bared in a sneer as it fought against him.  
  
It was odd; ever since Naruto woke up in the hospital he hadn't really noticed the beast at all. that which had been a part of him for so many years, a constant presence, seemed to be gone. Naruto knew better, knew it would only be a matter of time until he had to fight for control again, and he didn’t know if he would manage forever. The beast had been so strong, and even if he didn’t want to admit it to himself, giving in had been a rush of power. He could’ve taken on the world like that, strong and fierce. He had felt unbeatable, and he wasn’t sure he could forever beat that feeling back. It had been a constant struggle, and he feared it would only become worse now that the beast had felt a true taste of freedom.   
  


***

  
Naruto was looking at Sasuke, eyes twinkling with joy as he waved at him. Sasuke rolled his eyes and walked over. “What are you so happy about?” he asked, voice gruff.  
  
“I’m just glad to see you,” Naruto answered, smile widening, showing off twin rows of pearly whites.   
  
“Idiot,” Sasuke muttered, but as Naruto pulled him close and kissed him he gave in, kissing back. It started off soft, but soon tongues were tangling as the kiss deepened, hands clutching at clothes to tug the other closer. Sasuke sucked Naruto’s bottom lip into his mouth and bit down, the fragile skin breaking beneath his teeth. The taste of copper blossomed on his tongue as he sucked the drops into his mouth. Naruto’s fingers were curled into the front of his sweater, moaning loudly as Sasuke abused the soft flesh of his lip.   
  
He let go of the lip with a loud smack as he buried his fingers in Naruto’s hair, twisting his head to the side so he could lick a stripe up his neck, feeling the taste of salt and the beat of a pulse underneath his tongue. He drew in the scent of Naruto, rich and enticing.  
  
Sasuke’s eyes opened and met red eyes staring at him from a point behind Naruto. Itachi was looking on the scene with appreciation in his eyes, and when he acknowledged Sasuke it was with a small nod of his head, as he motioned for him to proceed. Sasuke parted his mouth and felt the tingle in his gums as fangs slid forth, sharp and lethal, and then he struck, sinking them deep into Naruto’s flesh—  
  
Sasuke woke with a scream, sitting upright in bed and clutching at his chest, feeling his heart beat a furious tattoo behind his ribcage.   
  
A dream. It had been a dream. His tongue slid over his teeth, feeling nothing but blunt squares, and he let out a ragged breath. There was no taste of blood on his tongue, and Itachi wasn’t there, Itachi was gone, and the plan had failed, and Sasuke wasn’t a vampire, wasn’t one of them.   
  
“Babe?” Naruto said drowsily as he sat up in bad, his chest against Sasuke’s back as he kneeled behind him. His arms wound around Sasuke, a comforting presence that still had Sasuke freeze as memories of the dream flashed to his mind.   
  
Naruto felt the sudden tension, and gently kissed Sasuke’s nape, his warm breath stirring the soft hairs, seeping into Sasuke as a calmness he needed to calm his furious heartbeat.  
  
“Nightmare?” Naruto asked softly, and Sasuke could just nod.  
  
Naruto shifted behind him, and soon he slowly pulled Sasuke backwards until Sasuke was curled up on against Naruto’s chest as they laid back on the bed. Naruto kept his arms wrapped around Sasuke's body, holding him close, and Sasuke let his hand curl on top of a pectoral muscle feeling Naruto’s chest move softly with each breath he took, his skin warm to the touch, faint hairs tickling against his palm.   
  
The dream faded from his mind, taking its place in the back of it, never gone but not on the forefront of his mind. Sasuke could move on like this, could live. He would never get rid of the darkness that tainted his soul, but when he was with Naruto he felt that maybe he could find some peace in life, allowing that darkness to become less substantial, less all encompassing.  
  
Naruto gently kissed Sasuke’s forehead, and Sasuke closed his eyes, letting the sound of Naruto’s calm breathing lull him back to sleep. He didn’t have another nightmare that night.  
  


***

  
Naruto was lying sprawled out across the couch, feet propped up on the armrest, and head cradled in Sasuke’s lap. Long fingers were carding through his messy hair. Naruto wasn't sure Sasuke was even aware of the fact that he was doing it, just absentmindedly stroking Naruto. Naruto was definitely not going to comment on it, because it felt awesome and he didn’t want it to stop.  
  
They had been watching a movie, and as it finished they had just sort of stayed there, sitting in silence and just relaxing together. Naruto had been playing on his phone, and Sasuke had just closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the couch. He was obviously not sleeping yet, but Naruto didn’t think it would take much.   
  
The shrill ringing of Naruto’s phone destroyed the calm completely. He had turned off the sound of the game earlier so it wouldn’t bug Sasuke, but the phone wasn’t silenced, so the ringtone blared through the quiet of the room. Naruto saw that the incoming call was from Kiba, and after hesitating for a moment, casting a look up at Sasuke he took the call. Sasuke had just peered at him through hooded eyelids, silently telling him to get the obnoxious sound to die immediately. His fingers had stilled, but were still buried in Naruto’s hair, and now he gave the locks a quick tug.   
  
“Didya know that it’s scientif’ly proven that staying inside for too long is totally dangerous for stuff?” Kiba said, slurring the words.  
  
Naruto held back a snort of laughter. “Is that so?”  
  
“Yesh, so you should tot’ly come out to join us. Bring Sas’ke too.”  
  
The sound of music in the background gave away Kiba’s location as some bar, and judging by the way he slurred he had been there a while.  
  
“Who are you out with?” Naruto asked.  
  
“Sakura and Lee and some people from another unit. Omg, there’s this really cute girl here, I need ya to be my wingman. I miss you man. I’m so glad you didn’t die.” This time Naruto couldn’t hold back the snort of laughter.   
  
“Yeah, I miss you too, but I think we might stay at home this time. Next time though, for sure!”   
  
Naruto could hear the pout across the phone. He was missing the others, even though they had visited. He definitely wasn’t ready for a night out on town yet, but he was starting to realise he was looking forward to when he was ready. “I’m gonna go now, Kiba. You just use that Inuzuka charm and sweep her off her feet, okay?”  
  
“Yeah, man! You’ll come back real soon right? I miss you, maaan.” He seemed to forget he was on the phone a moment later, because Naruto could hear him talking to someone, Naruto himself long forgotten. With a laugh he ended the call, sliding the phone onto the coffee table.  
  
“Drunk?” Sasuke asked.  
  
“Piss drunk actually,” Naruto answered, bumping his head against Sasuke’s hand to hint that he would very much like more petting.   
  
“What did he want?”  
  
“For us to get equally pissdrunk apparently.”  
  
Sasuke just huffed a silent _hn._ “I’m not sure I have the energy to carry you back here when you are too drunk to walk straight anymore.”  
  
“Hey!” Naruto said in mock outrage but quieted as the fingers in his hair resumed their slow carding. “I can totally walk straight when drunk.”  
  
“Sure you can,” Sasuke said, a soft smile on his lips as he closed his eyes again.  
  
Naruto’s eyes flew wide open as he stared up at him, and he forgot all about petting as he scrambled to get to his knees next to Sasuke.  
  
Sasuke’s eyes opened when he felt Naruto shift, getting into his face all of a sudden.   
  
“What is it?” he asked.  
  
“You smiled!” Naruto exclaimed, a grin on his face as he prodded at Sasuke’s bottom lip. Sasuke tried to pull away from the offending finger, but Naruto wouldn’t let him and prodded at the corner of his lip instead, willing it to twitch up again.   
  
Sasuke sputtered and shoved at Naruto. “What are you talking about?”  
  
“You smiled. It’s the first time I’ve seen you smile since… well. Since you know. It’s just… nice to see again,” Naruto said, unable to wipe the grin on his face again.   
  
Sasuke rolled his eyes at him, but as he closed them and relaxed back against the couch Naruto saw that smile tug at his lips again.  
  


***

  
They were sitting side by side on the couch, as they did most days, a foot of space between Naruto and him as they watched some movie. Sasuke had no idea what it was about, hadn’t been paying it any attention. It had been five weeks since he got back from the hospital, and he was starting to realise that something was off between them. They slept side by side, comforted each other when they needed, talked about everything except what had happened and otherwise looked much like they had before. There was just one thing that was very different, and apparently it had taken him five weeks to figure it out.  
  
Kakashi had suspended them with full pay until they were fully healed and had gone through the psych evaluations necessary to get them back into service, and he had more than hinted that they used this time to reacquaint themselves with each other. Problem was that apart from soft kisses and comforting hugs when memories got too rough they had barely touched. No desperate kisses or mind-blowing sex, and Sasuke had no idea why. It wasn’t that he didn’t want Naruto, and he didn’t think it wasn’t that Naruto didn’t want him either, it was more… no, he wasn’t even sure what it was   
  
He gazed over at Naruto. He was wearing a baggy t-shirt and sweatpants, hardly sexy clothes, but Sasuke had never cared much about what the other wore anyways, so that wasn’t the problem. Naruto’s wounds had long since healed, so that wasn’t an obstacle either. No, it was more as if they had needed time to centre themselves after what had happened, and now it had just been too long, and he just didn’t know how to go from calm and comforting to arousing and lusting.   
  
He bit down on his bottom lip. Thinking back he hadn’t even jerked off the last weeks, just hadn’t had the libido to find much of anything arousing. He’d been much too preoccupied trying not to focus on the fact that he had killed the last part of his family and barely come out of it alive. Reoccurring nightmares had made proper sleep hard to come by, and he found himself thinking back to all the mistakes he had made, feeling inadequate. He had messed up, letting his emotions run away from him, rather than letting cool logic rule him. It was unlike him, and even though technically everything had worked out in the end it had been by pure luck, not Sasuke’s skill. It was his fault Naruto had nearly died.   
  
Actually, why wasn’t Naruto angry with him? He had all the reasons in the world to do so, but he was just supportive and comforting. If Sasuke hadn’t pulled him into all this he wouldn’t have had to gone through any of it, wouldn’t have to deal with his sorry ass.  
  
“Why don’t you hate me?” Sasuke blurted out, taking himself by surprise as much as Naruto. He slammed his lips shut, admonishing himself for speaking without thinking as Naruto turned away from the TV to look at him.   
  
“Why should I hate you?” he asked.  
  
“Because I almost got you killed,” Sasuke stated bluntly, realising that when he had started he might as well continue, get it all off his chest. He had no idea how his mind had swung from the thought of not having sex to this, but he might as well go with it. It was clear he was still having some… issues.   
  
Naruto shifted on the couch, looking at him with those big blue eyes, not a trace of hate in them at all. If anything he just looked surprised.  
  
Sasuke groaned, already regretting having said anything. No way was Naruto going to let this rest right now.   
  
“Why are you thinking about this all of a sudden?” Naruto asked.  
  
“I was just thinking about what was different now from before, and then I figured that it was why we haven’t been, you know. Because you kind of despised me for all the shit that went down.  
  
“That we haven’t been what?”  
  
“Sex Naruto. We haven’t been having sex.”  
  
“Oh.” His mouth formed a small o around the word and stayed that way.  
  
“And it’s not like I’ve been initiating it, because I’ve kind of been in a bad place, but I was thinking about it, and I was wondering if that was the reason you haven’t been initiating it either.”  
  
Naruto looked away from him. Sasuke didn’t like it, so he shifted onto his knees next to Naruto, reaching out for his shoulder. Naruto just stiffened underneath him, adamantly staring the other way.   
  
“Naruto?” Sasuke inquired, and finally Naruto took a sharp breath and eased his shoulders down slightly, although he still didn’t turn back to Naruto.  
  
“I kind of figured that you wouldn't want me anymore when you got back to your feet,” Naruto said quietly, nothing like the brash man Sasuke knew him as. He sounded so unsure of himself.   
  
“Why would you think that?”  
  
“Because now you’ve seen what I really am.”  
  
“I’ve always known you were a shifter,” Sasuke said, knowing that it wasn’t what Naruto meant.   
  
“I’m not just a shifter though. I’m this thing I’ve never even heard about. This thing that can rip through vampires and shifters like it’s nothing. Not an animal acting on instinct, but something cold and calculating that wanted them to suffer. I didn’t just kill them, I tore them apart,” Naruto said, his voice deceptively calm. Sasuke could feel that he was on the verge of something more volatile.  
  
It was suddenly very clear why Naruto had kept an emotional distance to him, even as they spent all their time together. He was comforting Sasuke, just waiting for him to turn around and toss him out. All confidence was gone, and left was only an insecure man who was afraid of what he was. Sasuke was an idiot. His world had been torn apart by what had happened, but Naruto had been there, and even though he hadn’t been the one to kill what remained of his own brother he hadn’t come out of it unscathed either.   
  
Sasuke moved his hand to curl around Naruto’s jaw, pulling his face towards him. Naruto looked away at first before he met Sasuke’s gaze.   
  
“I’m not afraid of you Naruto,” he said, and meant it with every fibre of his being. “You are so strong, and if you lose control I’ll be here, and together we’ll be strong enough. You are not alone.”  
  
Naruto’s eyes shone with tears, and Sasuke felt it in his very being that they were at the precipice of something that could potentially change things between them. This was the point where they decided that they would give it all and move on together. Pushing away any insecurity that still lingered Sasuke got to his feet and held out a hand towards Naruto. Blue eyes looked up at him in confusedness for a moment before a tan hand lifted, and their hands clasped together as Sasuke pulled Naruto to his feet and led him towards the bedroom.  
  


***

  
Naruto tossed back his head and moaned loudly as Sasuke’s dick rubbed directly against his prostate, sending sparks of pleasure through his body. His hands were looped loosely around Sasuke’s shoulders, and his legs which at one point had been wrapped around Sasuke’s hips had fallen back to the mattress, spreading him open, nestling Sasuke between them.   
  
Their bodies were slick with sweat, the scent of musk thick in the air around them. He had no idea how long they had been going at it, he was having a hard enough time stringing thoughts together so any sense of time was long since gone.   
  
Sasuke had taken him apart with his mouth and fingers as he prepared him, bringing him to the edge of orgasm and holding him there, not allowing him that release his body was aching for. He had forgotten how good sex with Sasuke could be, the quick jerking off he had done in the shower when he got too tense these last few weeks couldn’t compare in the slightest.   
  
His whole body was thrumming with the need to come, his heart beating wildly in his chest, his breath ragged and strained as he tried to drag breath into his lungs but found it expelled again when Sasuke drove himself straight into the most sensitive spots inside him, sending him spiralling right back to the edge of orgasm only to pull back and thrust shallowly, denying him that final push.   
  
Naruto whined, hands tightening around Sasuke, pulling him closer, needing him deeper inside, needing to feel all of him. He wanted to beg for Sasuke to just let him cum, but he found words above him for the moment, so all he could do was moan and whine and cling to him.  
  
He had been tense at first as Sasuke started undressing him, but it didn’t take long until Sasuke had pushed him back, assuring him that he wasn’t afraid of him in the slightest. Naruto forgot all about his fears as Sasuke took him apart, and now he couldn’t focus on anything other than the hard cock inside his ass and the sweat-slick body pressed up against him, occasionally offering his hard cock some relief by rubbing a firm abdomen against it. He was so close, but it just wasn’t enough. If only Sasuke would wrap his hand around him he thought he’d explode in seconds, but Sasuke seemed to have other plans as he slowed his thrusts, pushing up until he was kneeling, his cock still inside Naruto.  
  
His hands dragged down Naruto’s side, digging into flesh, grounding Naruto. When he came to his thighs he slid hands underneath Naruto’s knees, and with a swift movement he pulled his legs over his shoulders, pushing his cock deep inside Naruto in the same movement.   
  
A deep growl of pleasure ripped from Naruto’s throat as Sasuke penetrated deeper than he had earlier, filling him to the brim with his hard cock. Naruto had slid further down on the bed, and was now almost folded in half, pushed to the edge of what flexibility he had, but the stretch in his legs and back only added to the sweetness as Sasuke pushed inside, his thrusts long and hard and _so so good._ “Yesss,” he moaned, clawing at the soft flesh underneath his fingers.  
  
His cock was no longer trapped between their bodies, and he ached to reach down and get the release his body was screaming for.  
  
“Sasuke, please, I need to, aaah, I need to c-cum,” he stuttered. He was sure he was going to implode any moment unless he got to cum. His body was pulled tight and he was so close to letting go.   
  
“Hah, Naruto!” Sasuke exclaimed, and it was obvious by the strained voice that he was equally affected. His thrusts were starting to falter, growing erratic, and Naruto knew he was close to coming as well.   
  
“Touch yourself Naruto, cum for me,” Sasuke said in a breathless voice, and Naruto’s hand instantly shot down to his groin, wrapping around his achingly hard cock. It was slick with precum, and his fist easily slid over it.   
  
Sasuke’s name became a mantra pouring from his lips over and over again as he jerked his cock erratically, finding it hard to build up a rhythm with the hard cock pounding into his ass. He lasted only a few moments, the feeling of Sasuke inside of him, pressing insistently against his prostate combined with the hand fisted around his cock pushing him into the orgasm he had thought he’d never get.  
  
His body grew taut as the orgasm flooded through him, sending ropes of sticky cum from his cock to coat both of their chests. His breath caught in his throat and for a few glorious moments the feeling of rapture was his entire world.   
  
When he came too he felt the last stuttering thrusts of Sasuke’s hips against his ass before a ragged sigh signalled Sasuke finding the same edge. His fingers dug into Naruto’s flesh as his hips twitched. Naruto kept his gaze locked on him, seeing how dark eyes vanished behind heavy eyelids and mouth fell open as he came. Sasuke was beautiful like this, the shields he had always hidden behind cracked completely, showing the man underneath, raw with emotion.   
  
For a long moment they stayed as they were, too busy catching their breath to do anything else. Then Sasuke let go of Naruto’s legs, and he fell back to the mattress as Sasuke collapsed on top of him, too exhausted to keep himself upright anymore. Naruto wanted to hold him, but his arms were too heavy, lying by his side as limp weights.  
  
“Wow,” he finally stuttered after a while, and a laugh suddenly bubbled in his chest, spilling past his lips.   
  
“What’s so funny?” Sasuke muttered against his chest.  
  
“Nothing, I’m just… happy I guess?”  
  
Sasuke gathered his hands underneath him and pushed up enough that he could look up at Naruto. His eyes softened. “I am too, Naruto.”  
  
Naruto grinned and wrapped his arms around Sasuke, pulling him up so he could kiss him. The motion had Sasuke’s now flaccid cock pull from his ass, and with it came a gush of something sticky. Only then did he realise Sasuke had forgotten about a condom, and Naruto consequently now had an ass full of cum. He found that he didn’t mind as much as he would have, even though the sensation of cooling cum running down his crack wasn’t all that pleasant. He ignored it in favour of kissing Sasuke as intended.   
  
He knew that sex didn’t really fix anything, but for now he felt almost like normal again, or at least as close to normal as he had ever been. He knew Sasuke and he could work through whatever issues might rise in the future. Sasuke would always have a darkness inside, he had been through enough not too, and Naruto would probably always have to fight with the beast within, but with Sasuke by his side he thought he could do manage that.  
  


***

  
Sasuke found that lying on top of Naruto was a rather comfortable place to be, so he had no inclination to move anytime soon. His body felt completely sated, and he wasn’t sure he could really move much even if he wanted to.   
  
It was clear they had needed this, had needed to prove to themselves that not everything had changed, that there was still passion and love between them, that they were still close, that it wasn’t just what they had been through that held them together, but a deeper bond.   
  
It felt odd to know that only a few months ago he had been what felt like a whole other person. He wouldn’t have believed that he would connect to anyone the way he had connected to Naruto, would have scoffed at the notion that he would fall irrevocably in love with anyone, that he would allow himself that connection. Naruto had managed what no one else had done, he had made his way past Sasuke’s defences and made himself a neat little home inside Sasuke’s icy heart, thawing it bit by bit. Sasuke thought he would never feel love again, thought that part of him was dead along with his family, but Naruto had proven otherwise.   
  
“I love you,” Naruto said, as if the words didn’t cost him anything at all to say, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. The words felt warm and comforting, soothing Sasuke as he pressed his face against Naruto’s warm skin. He parted his lips, the words right there. It should be so easy to say. _I love you._ Three small words. Naruto had no qualms about it, but here Sasuke was lying, and the words stuck in his throat. He had no idea what was wrong with him, why could he still not say the words? He knew that the feelings he had for Naruto was deep, but the words still refused to come. He only hoped Naruto realised how important he was to Sasuke, even though this is just one thing Sasuke can’t give him, not yet.  
  
He composed himself for a moment, taking a deep breath before he pulled back enough to meet Naruto’s gaze. The adoration and love he saw in those blue eyes were almost tangible, and Sasuke just wanted to bask in it forever.   
  
“It’s been a hell of a ride to get to this point hasn’t it?” Naruto said, seemingly not caring in the slightest that Sasuke hadn't said the words back.  
  
“We made it through though, together.” This he can say, this he can give Naruto. He was still a bit broken on the inside, and he knew it might never completely mend, but he can only hope it will get better. With Naruto by his side he feels like it might.  
  
“Yeah, we make quite the team don’t we?” Naruto said with a soft smile on his lips.  
  
Sasuke hoped his eyes would show what he wasn’t quite ready to say yet, even though he felt it with every fibre of his being. “It makes sense. After all, we’re partners.”  
  
  
 _The End_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all. You are awesome. Everyone that has commented and left kudos and read. I never would have been able to finish without your support. Every comment has spurred me on to write more and to strive to be a better writer. Thank you so much, it has meant the world to me. It’s been exactly a year to the day since I posted the first chapter, and it’s been a ride, and you’ve kept me sane throughout it.
> 
> Partners might be done, but there are still unanswered questions. I think I have mentioned this before, but it’s been months, so I’m not sure you all remember, but I do have a sequel in the works. I have grown to love the Partners universe, and there’s more to be told. Naruto’s and Sasuke’s story isn’t finished yet, and Kakashi’s story is just starting up. I am not quite sure if Kakashi will get his own story or if it will be baked in with the sequel. I’m not sure what everyone would prefer really? I think it’s kind of obvious at this point who I ship Kakashi with. :3
> 
> Anyways, the sequel is named Unleashed. I am taking a bit of a break from the Partners universe to write some other stuff, but then I’ll be back with this new one in a few months. I might also be inclined to write some one-shots set in the Partners universe, so if there’s something in particular you would like to see, scenes we didn’t see, alternate scenes etc please feel free to shoot me a comment or contact me on Tumblr. (miasen.tumblr.com). I’m always eager to talk about stuff I love. Also I reblog lots and lots of pretty pictures, so there’s that. Also, now is the time to tell me what you’d like to see in the sequel as I start the planning process. :3
> 
> Thank you all for your support, and I hope you’ve all been entertained!
> 
> -Mia
> 
>  
> 
> TL;DR: I love ya all for reading Partners, and there is a sequel, Unleashed, in the works!


	35. Announcement

No, this is not a new chapter, Partners is very much done, but this is something even better. I promise, for reals! Some of you have noticed this already, but I'm posting here in case you haven't all seen it.

Unleashed, the sequel to Partners, has officially started! The first chapter is posted already, and there is a bunch more to come.

It picks up about three months after the showdown with Itachi, and we'll see how they are moving on with their lives. Itachi might be dead, but there are still a lot of unanswered questions, and a lot of trouble on their horizon.

I really hope you'll like it!

 

 

* * *

_Heavy boots pounded into the puddles and streams the rain was creating, soaking socks and pants equally. No sane person would willingly go out in this weather, but then again, you had to be a little bit insane to hunt vampires for a living._

_Naruto dragged a hand through his hair, pushing wet bangs out of his face, noting that he was long overdue for a haircut, and then realising that this was neither the time nor place to be thinking about personal grooming. He had a job to do. Places to see, vampires to kill, business as usual._

_Even through the loud thrumming of the rain he heard his own breath grow laboured as he ran across deserted streets. His target had a substantial head start, and had pulled him on a wild chase through the industrial district, past buildings closed for the day and through narrow alleys where even the rats had fled for shelter, but Naruto was gaining on him. Every so often there was a flash of red as the vampire looked back at him, so the vampire was equally aware that it was getting closer and closer to being caught up with. Just a little bit more and Naruto could end this. Hopefully the vampire would realise that it wasn't going to outrun him and stop to fight. A cornered vampire tended to be a vicious one, but Naruto was armed and ready._

* * *

 

Read the rest in _Unleashed!_

 


End file.
